A Baseball In Play Has Its Lowest Gravitational Potential Energy?
Contents
A baseball in play has its lowest gravitational potential energy when it is at rest on the ground. When a baseball is hit, it gains kinetic energy and increases its gravitational potential energy.
Introduction
A baseball in play has its lowest gravitational potential energy when it is will be at its highest point in terms of height. The reason for this is because the gravitational potential energy of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the acceleration due to gravity times the height of the object.
What is Gravitational Potential Energy?
Gravitational potential energy is the type of potential energy that an object has because of its position in a gravitational field. The more massive an object is, the more gravitational potential energy it has. The formula for calculating gravitational potential energy is:
GPE = mgh
Where:
m = mass of object (kg)
g = acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2)
h = height above ground level (m)
The Relationship Between Height and Gravitational Potential Energy
As gravity pulls objects down, it also gives them potential energy. The higher an object is, the more potential energy it has. When the object falls, this potential energy is turned into kinetic energy, or the energy of motion.
The amount of gravitational potential energy an object has depends on two things: its height and the force of gravity. In general, the higher an object is, the more potential energy it has. And, the stronger the force of gravity is, the more potential energy an object has.
Baseballs have very little gravitational potential energy when they are in play. This is because they are not very high off the ground and because gravity is not very strong on Earth.
How Does this Apply to a Baseball in Play?
A baseball in play has its lowest gravitational potential energy when it is at its highest point in its trajectory. This is because gravity is constantly pulling the baseball downward, and so the higher the baseball is, the more potential energy it has. Once the baseball reaches its highest point, it begins to fall back down again, and its potential energy begins to decrease.
Conclusion
The baseball will have the smallest amount of gravitational potential energy when it is at its highest point in its trajectory. At this point, it has the greatest height above the ground, and therefore the greatest distance to fall. The gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy as the ball falls back down to Earth, and this kinetic energy is converted to heat and sound energy as the ball makes contact with the ground.
