Question

identifying energy in a catapult a catapult’s lever holds a cannonball. the lever is attached to a tightly held rope. when the rope is released, the lever springs forward and launches the cannonball. when the rope is held tightly, which form of energy does it possess? ○ thermal ○ nuclear ○ gravitational ○ elastic

Explanation:

To determine the energy of the tightly - held rope in a catapult, we analyze each option:

• Thermal energy is related to heat, and the rope being held tightly has nothing to do with heat, so thermal energy is not the answer.
• Nuclear energy is associated with the nucleus of an atom, and there is no nuclear - related process here, so nuclear energy is out of the question.
• Gravitational energy depends on the position of an object in a gravitational field. The rope's energy when held tightly is not due to its position in a gravitational field, so gravitational energy is incorrect.
• Elastic energy is the energy stored in an object when it is deformed (stretched, compressed, etc.) and has the potential to return to its original shape. When the rope in the catapult is held tightly, it is stretched or deformed, and this deformation stores energy. When the rope is released, this stored elastic energy is converted into other forms of energy to launch the cannonball. So the rope possesses elastic energy when held tightly.

Answer:

elastic (the option corresponding to "elastic" among the given choices)