Final answer:
The basketball player's kinetic energy just before hitting the floor can be calculated as 300 Joules by converting the gravitational potential energy at the highest point of the jump into kinetic energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The kinetic energy (KE) of the basketball player just before hitting the floor can be found by considering the conversion of gravitational potential energy (PEg) into kinetic energy as the player falls. The gravitational potential energy can be calculated with the formula PEg = mgh, where m is the mass in kilograms, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2), and h is the height in meters from which the player jumps. Since the player's weight is given as 600 Newtons, their mass m can be found by dividing the weight by the acceleration due to gravity (m = 600 N / 9.81 m/s2). The height h is 0.5 meters. The kinetic energy just before hitting the floor will be equal to the potential energy at the peak of the jump, thus KE = PEg = mgh.
Calculating this gives: KE = (600 N / 9.81 m/s2) * 9.81 m/s2 * 0.5 m = 300 Joules. Therefore, the correct answer is 300 J.