3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts. They drop balls into a tray filled with sand. They use six balls with different masses. They drop each ball from the same height. (a) (i) Which one of these graphs shows the relationship between the gravitational potential energy (gpe) of the balls and their mass when they are all at the same height? Put a cross (✗) in the box next to your answer. A B C D

GCSE Edexcel Physics Kinetic Energy: 3. Some students investigate a m

3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1

Question 3

3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts. They drop balls into a tray filled with sand. They use six balls with different ... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1

Step 1

Which one of these graphs shows the relationship between the gravitational potential energy (gpe) of the balls and their mass when they are all at the same height?

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Answer

To determine the correct graph, we first recall the formula for gravitational potential energy:

$gpe = m imes g imes h$

Where:

$m$ = mass of the ball
$g$ = acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s²)
$h$ = height from which the balls are dropped.

Since all balls are dropped from the same height, and $g$ is a constant, this indicates that the gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the mass. Therefore, as the mass increases, the gravitational potential energy also increases linearly.

Thus, the graph that depicts a linear increase in gpe as mass increases would be the correct representation. Looking at the given options, the graph that shows this linear relationship is (B).

Thus, the answer is to put a cross (✗) in the box next to graph B.

3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1

Worked Solution & Example Answer:3. Some students investigate a model of the craters produced by meteorite impacts - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 3 - 2015 - Paper 1

Which one of these graphs shows the relationship between the gravitational potential energy (gpe) of the balls and their mass when they are all at the same height?

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