Where is the potential energy the greatest?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In this diagram, potential energy depends on height: PE = mgh. 
Option b: The cart is on a slope part of the track and is clearly lower than the top of the left peak, so its height above the reference is smaller, thus PE is lower than at the highest point.
Option d: The cart sits near the top of the right peak, which is high but appears slightly lower than the left peak. Since PE scales with height, a slightly lower height means slightly less PE than the highest point.
Option c: The cart is at the bottom of the valley, which is the lowest position on the track. This yields the smallest potential energy relative to the higher points.
Option a: The cart is at the top of the leftmost peak, which is the highest location shown. Because gravitational potential energy increases with height, this position has the greatest PE among the labeled spots.

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Where is the potential energy the greatest?

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