Wendy was about to play the first hole on a mini golf course. She placed her golf
ball on the mat in front of her and aimed carefully with her golf club. Then,
Wendy gently tapped the ball straight toward the hole. The ball rolled slowly
along the flat mat before falling to the bottom of the hole.
When was the least gravitational potential energy stored between the golf ball and Earth?
Assume that the golf ball’s mass did not change.
when the ball was farthest from the hole
when the ball was rolling slowly on the mat
when the ball was at the bottom of the hole
wher

Question

UpStudy AI · Accepted Answer

The gravitational potential energy ($$ U $$) of an object near Earth's surface 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 of the object above a reference point.

In this scenario, the reference point is the level of the mat from which Wendy starts. Let's analyze each situation:

1. **When the ball was farthest from the hole:** The height $$ h $$ is at its maximum on the flat mat.
2. **When the ball was rolling slowly on the mat:** The height $$ h $$ remains the same as on the mat.
3. **When the ball was at the bottom of the hole:** The height $$ h $$ is at its minimum, as the ball is slightly lower than the mat level.

Since gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to height, the least gravitational potential energy occurs when the height $$ h $$ is the smallest.

**Answer:** When the ball was at the bottom of the hole.
The least gravitational potential energy was stored when the ball was at the bottom of the hole.

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