The formula for calculating potential energy is expressed as
Potential energy = mgh
where
m represents mass of object
g represents acceleration due to gravity and its value is 9.8 m/s^2
h represents height of object above the ground
From the information given,
height = 16.2
m = 300 g
We need to convert from grams to kilograms
Recall,
1000 g = 1 kg
300g = 300/1000 = 0.3 kg
By substituting these values into the formula,
Potential energy of the softball at its highest position = 0.3 x 9.8 x 16.2
Potential energy = 47.63 J