If Elora is standing on the surface of Earth and she throws a ball straight up into the air, what happens to the ball after she releases it, and why? Respond very briefly.
After Elora releases the ball, it initially moves upwards but eventually slows down, stops momentarily, and then starts falling back towards the ground. This happens because when Elora throws the ball upwards, she gives it kinetic energy that propels it against the pull of Earth's gravity. As the ball ascends, gravity continually works against its upward motion, reducing its kinetic energy until it reaches a point where its upward velocity is zero. At this peak, known as the apex of its trajectory, the ball's kinetic energy has been completely converted into potential energy. Once the ball has stopped, the force of gravity then causes it to accelerate back towards the ground, regaining kinetic energy, and losing potential energy until it is either caught by Elora or hits the ground.