A student drops a ball from a height of 60 meters. The table below shows the ball’s speed and height as time passes.
At what point in time does the ball have the highest kinetic energy?
(1 point)
Responses
At the start (0 seconds)
At the start (0 seconds)
After 0.5 seconds
After 0.5 seconds
After 2 seconds
After 2 seconds
After 2.5 seconds
The point in time when the ball has the highest kinetic energy is after 2.5 seconds.
To determine at what point in time the ball has the highest kinetic energy, we need to find the point where the ball's speed is the highest. Looking at the table, we can see that the ball's speed increases as it falls.
At the start (0 seconds), the ball has not yet begun to fall, so its speed and kinetic energy are both zero.
After 0.5 seconds, the speed and kinetic energy of the ball would still be relatively low as it has only fallen a short distance.
After 2 seconds, the ball has fallen a significant distance, and its speed and kinetic energy would be higher than at previous points in time.
After 2.5 seconds, the ball has fallen even further, and its speed and kinetic energy would continue to increase.
Therefore, the correct answer is: After 2 seconds, the ball has the highest kinetic energy.