Read the text about a person in motion. Sean 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 Sean and Earth? Assume that Sean'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 wher

To determine when Sean had the least gravitational potential energy stored between him and the Earth, we need to understand the concept of gravitational potential energy (GPE). The formula for gravitational potential energy is given by: \[ GPE = mgh \] where: - \( m \) is the mass of the object (in this case, Sean), - \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)), - \( h \) is the height of the object above the reference point (the ground or water level). ### Analyzing the Situation 1. **When Sean was on the diving board**: At this point, he was at the highest position above the water, so he had the maximum height \( h \) and therefore the maximum gravitational potential energy. 2. **When he started climbing down the ladder**: As he descended, his height \( h \) decreased, which means his gravitational potential energy also decreased. 3. **When he was sitting on the side of the pool**: At this point, he was at the water level, which is the lowest height \( h \) in this scenario. Therefore, his gravitational potential energy would be at its minimum. ### Conclusion The least gravitational potential energy stored between Sean and the Earth occurred when he was sitting on the side of the pool. This is because he was at the lowest height relative to the water level, resulting in the lowest value of \( h \) in the GPE formula. Thus, the answer is: **When he was sitting on the side of the pool.**