[Physics] Does a thrown ball have kinetic energy at the top of the curve

energyhomework-and-exerciseskinematicsnewtonian-mechanicspotential energy

I'm going through physics with my 5th grade child. There is a question and answer that indicates that a airborne ball at the top of the trajectory does not have kinetic energy.

  1. The diagram below shows the path taken by a ball after it was kicked. The ball hit the ground initially at D and eventually stopped moving at E.

    image of ball bouncing with several points on the path labeled

    At which position(s) did the ball have no kinetic energy?

    1. B only
    2. A and E only
    3. B and E only
    4. B, D, and E only

This is the explanation given in the book:

  1. Answer: 3. B and E only

    • At A and C, the ball had both kinetic energy and (gravitational) potential energy.
    • At the maximum height at B, the ball had only (gravitational) potential energy but no kinetic energy.
    • At D, the ball had kinetic energy but no (gravitational) potential energy as it was at the ground level.
    • At E, the ball stopped moving, so it had no kinetic energy. The ball also had not (gravitationa) potential energy as it was at ground level.

Ignoring the "complicated" fact that anything with heat has kinetic energy internally, is there some reason the ball wouldn't continue to have kinetic energy? There is no longer vertical motion, but it is still in forward motion.

Best Answer

The answer is wrong. Some author confused the situation when the ball is moving only vertically (and a graph as a function of time) with this case where there is horizontal motion. The horizontal component of the velocity is constant in a ballistic trajectory, it is the same at points A, B, and C.

The kinetic energy is zero only when the ball is stationary, and the ball is stationary only at E: so this is the only point where the kinetic energy is zero.

So... do not trust this book.

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