Read the text about a person in motion. Mateo stood in the center of the highest diving board at a public pool. He stared at the water far below him and then decided he did not want to jump. So, he climbed carefully down the ladder. He walked across the flat deck to the side of the pool. Then, he sat down and dipped his feet in the water. When was the least gravitational potential energy stored between Mateo and Earth? Assurne that Mateo's mass did not change. when he decided that he did not want to jump off the diving board when he started climbing carefully down the ladder when he was sitting on the side of the pool

Gravitational potential energy (\( U \)) between an object and the Earth is given by the equation: \[ U = mgh \] where: - \( m \) is the mass of the object, - \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, - \( h \) is the height above the reference point (in this case, the water level of the pool). Given that Mateo's mass (\( m \)) remains constant, the gravitational potential energy primarily depends on his height (\( h \)) above the pool. Let's analyze the three scenarios: 1. **When he decided that he did not want to jump off the diving board**: - Mateo is at the highest point on the diving board. - **\( h \)** is maximized, so **\( U \)** is high. 2. **When he started climbing carefully down the ladder**: - Mateo is descending, so his height is decreasing. - **\( h \)** is less than when he was on the diving board but more than when he's seated by the pool. 3. **When he was sitting on the side of the pool**: - Mateo is at the lowest possible point relative to the diving board. - **\( h \)** is minimized, so **\( U \)** is at its lowest. **Conclusion:** Mateo has the least gravitational potential energy when he is sitting on the side of the pool. **Answer:** When he was sitting on the side of the pool