A student standing on the ground throws a ball straight up. The ball leaves the student's hand with a speed of 12.0 m/s when the hand is 2.40 m above the ground.

12m/s

To find the maximum height reached by the ball, we need to consider the laws of motion and apply the principles of kinematics. The key equation we'll use is:

Final velocity squared = Initial velocity squared + 2 × acceleration × distance

In this case, we are interested in the maximum height reached by the ball. At its peak height, the final velocity will be zero. Therefore, the equation becomes:

0 = (12.0 m/s)² + 2 × acceleration × distance

Given that the initial velocity is 12.0 m/s and the distance is 2.40 m, we can solve for the acceleration. Rearranging the equation, we get:

Acceleration = -(12.0 m/s)² / (2 × 2.40 m)

Now we can calculate the acceleration.