This image of a roller coaster is designed to show important information about potential and kinetic energy. One of these pieces of information is incorrect. Which information is wrong, and why?
a
The roller coaster would only have kinetic energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”
b
The spot with the “maximum kinetic energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.
c
The spot marked “maximum gravitational potential energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.
d
The roller coaster would only have potential energy at the point labeled “gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy.”
The incorrect information is:
c. The spot marked “maximum gravitational potential energy” should be on the lowest point of the roller coaster, at the far left side on the bottom.
This is incorrect because the maximum gravitational potential energy would actually be at the highest point of the roller coaster, not the lowest point. At the highest point, the coaster has the highest potential energy due to its height above the ground.