Question

read the text about an object in motion.
riley rode her electric scooter home from school. when she started the scooter, its battery was charged. she rode down a ramp to the flat street in front of the school. after a few minutes traveling along that street, she rode up a hill to reach her house. when she got home, she noticed that the scooters battery was low.
when was the least gravitational potential energy stored between the scooter and earth? assume that the scooters mass did not change.
when the scooter was at rileys school with a charged battery
when the scooter used its battery to move along the flat street
when the scooter arrived at rileys house with a low battery

Explanation:

Step1: Recall potential - energy formula

The gravitational potential energy formula is $U = mgh$, where $m$ is mass, $g$ is the gravitational acceleration, and $h$ is the height above the ground. Assuming $m$ and $g$ are constant, $U$ depends on $h$.

Step2: Analyze height in different scenarios

When the scooter is at school (before going down the ramp), it has a certain height. When it moves along the flat street, its height $h$ is the lowest among the three scenarios. When it arrives at the house after going up a hill, its height is higher than when on the flat - street.

Answer:

when the scooter used its battery to move along the flat street