Question

Marine throws a baseball into the air, it rises, stops when it reaches its greatest height, and then falls back to the ground. When does kinetic energy convert to potential energy?

a) when the baseball is rising

b) when the baseball is falling

c) while the baseball sits on the ground

d) while the baseball is stopped in the air

Answer 1

Kinetic energy converts to potential energy when the baseball is rising after being thrown into the air.

Step-by-step explanation:

Kinetic energy converts to potential energy when a baseball is rising after being thrown into the air. As the baseball moves upwards, it loses speed, indicating that its kinetic energy is decreasing. Simultaneously, its potential energy is increasing because it's gaining height relative to the ground.

Upon reaching its highest point, the baseball's kinetic energy is at its minimum (momentarily zero when the ball stops), and its potential energy is at its maximum. Therefore, the correct answer to when kinetic energy converts to potential energy in this scenario is when the baseball is rising.

The conversion of kinetic energy to potential energy occurs when the baseball is rising in the air. As the baseball is thrown upwards, its kinetic energy decreases and its potential energy increases. When the baseball reaches its greatest height and stops, all of its kinetic energy has been converted into potential energy. This potential energy is then converted back into kinetic energy as the baseball falls back to the ground.