A student drops the same 10 kilogram bowling ball three separate times. She drops the ball from heights of 1 meter, 2 meters, and 3 meters. Which graph correctly shows the ball's kinetic energy when dropped from each height?
The correct graph would be a line graph where the y-axis represents the bowling ball's kinetic energy and the x-axis represents the height from which the ball is dropped. The graph will show a linear relationship between the height and the kinetic energy.
As the height increases, the kinetic energy of the ball will also increase. The equation for kinetic energy is given by: KE = 0.5 * mass * velocity^2. Since the mass of the ball (10 kg) and the gravitational constant (9.8 m/s^2) remain constant, the only variable that changes is the velocity of the ball.
The velocity of the ball is determined by the height from which it is dropped. The formula for calculating the velocity is: v = sqrt(2gh), where g is the gravitational constant (9.8 m/s^2) and h is the height in meters.
Hence, the graph will show a direct proportional relationship between the height and the kinetic energy, with the kinetic energy increasing as the height increases. Therefore, the correct graph would be a straight line that slopes upward from left to right.