Question

a baseball is thrown straight up into the air and falls back down. when does the baseball have the greatest amount of kinetic energy? at its the highest point as soon as it is released and right before it is caught it has the same amount of kinetic energy the entire time. when it is held in a hand

Explanation:

Kinetic energy \(KE=\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}\), where \(m\) is mass and \(v\) is velocity. When the baseball is thrown, it has maximum velocity as soon as it is released (assuming no air - resistance, by conservation of mechanical energy \(mgh+\frac{1}{2}mv^{2}=\text{constant}\), at the release point \(h = 0\) and \(v\) is maximum). When it comes back down right before it is caught (again \(h\approx0\)), its velocity is approximately equal to the initial velocity (by conservation of mechanical energy in the absence of non - conservative forces like air resistance). At the highest point, velocity \(v = 0\), so \(KE=0\). When held in the hand, velocity \(v = 0\), so \(KE = 0\).

Answer:

B. as soon as it is released and right before it is caught