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Writer's picturekeshprad

CollegeBoard SAT Physics Study Guide PT1 Q2


2) This question tests our knowledge on energy and energy conversion from potential to kinetic. The problem stated that the object slide without friction. This information is crucial because it tells us that we can use the conservation of momentum.

Where U is potential energy and K is kinetic energy

This equation allows us to know that the sum of the kinetic energy and the potential energy should be the same at any point of the block's path. This means that if we want to maximize the kinetic energy, we can select the position where the potential energy is the least. Let's take a look at our equation for potential energy.

Where U is potential energy, m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is height.

Looking at this equation, since mass(m) and acceleration of gravity(g) will stay constant, we must change the height(h) accordingly to change the potential energy(U). Since the height and the potential energy are directly related, we can tell that we must have a lower height in order to create a lower potential energy. And so, the object will be at position B when it has its highest kinetic energy.


Answer: B

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