Question

kevin stood in the center of the highest diving board at a public pool. he stared at the water far below him and then decided he did not want to jump. so, he climbed carefully down the ladder. he walked across the flat deck to the side of the pool. then, he sat down and dipped his feet in the water.
when was the least gravitational potential energy stored between kevin and earth? assume that kevins mass did not change.
when he decided that he did not want to jump off the diving board
when he started climbing carefully down the ladder
when he was sitting on the side of the pool

Explanation:

Step1: Recall gravitational potential energy formula

Gravitational potential energy \(U = mgh\), where \(m\) is mass, \(g\) is acceleration due to gravity (\(g>0\)), and \(h\) is height.

Step2: Analyze height at each position

• When Kevin was on the diving board: He was at the highest position, so \(h\) (height) was the largest. Using \(U = mgh\), gravitational potential energy was the largest.
• When he started climbing down the ladder: His height \(h\) was decreasing.
• When he was sitting on the side of the pool: His height \(h\) was the smallest (assuming the water level is a reference, and the side - of - pool height is close to water level).

Answer:

When he was sitting on the side of the pool.