Question

Dr. Henderson teaches astronomy. She used to keep a model of Mars on the edge of her desk, but one day she decided to hang it up so that her students could see it better. She used a string to tie the model to a hook in the ceiling. A few days later, the string came loose and the model fell to the ground.

When was the most gravitational potential energy stored between the model and Earth? Assume that the model's mass did not change.

A.when the model was on the edge of Dr. Henderson's desk
B.when the model was hanging from the hook
C.when the model was about to hit the ground

Answer 1

The most gravitational potential energy was stored when the model of Mars was hanging from the hook in the ceiling. When the model was on the desk or about to hit the ground, the gravitational potential energy was lower.

Step-by-step explanation:

The most gravitational potential energy was stored when the model of Mars was hanging from the hook in the ceiling. Gravitational potential energy is determined by an object's mass and height above the ground. When the model was on the edge of Dr. Henderson's desk, it had some gravitational potential energy, but it was lower than when it was hanging from the hook because the height was lower.

However, when the model was about to hit the ground, it had the least gravitational potential energy because its height was minimized.