read the text about an animal in motion.\na blue jay was sleeping in its nest near the top of a pine tree…

read the text about an animal in motion.\na blue jay was sleeping in its nest near the top of a pine tree. the blue jay woke up and needed to eat, so it flew to the ground to look for food. when the blue jay landed on the ground, it saw that there was no food around. then, the blue jay looked up and saw a bird feeder on a low branch of a nearby pine tree. the blue jay flew to the bird feeder and perched on it to eat.\nwhen was the least gravitational potential energy stored between the blue jay and earth? assume that the blue jays mass did not change.\nwhen the blue jay was asleep in its nest\nwhen the blue jay landed on the ground\nwhen the blue jay perched on the bird feeder

read the text about an animal in motion.\na blue jay was sleeping in its nest near the top of a pine tree. the blue jay woke up and needed to eat, so it flew to the ground to look for food. when the blue jay landed on the ground, it saw that there was no food around. then, the blue jay looked up and saw a bird feeder on a low branch of a nearby pine tree. the blue jay flew to the bird feeder and perched on it to eat.\nwhen was the least gravitational potential energy stored between the blue jay and earth? assume that the blue jays mass did not change.\nwhen the blue jay was asleep in its nest\nwhen the blue jay landed on the ground\nwhen the blue jay perched on the bird feeder

Answer

Answer: when the blue jay landed on the ground

Explanation:

Step1: Recall gravitational - potential energy formula

The gravitational - potential energy formula is $U = mgh$, where $m$ is mass, $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity, and $h$ is the height above the ground.

Step2: Analyze height in each situation

When the blue jay was asleep in its nest, it was at a relatively high position. When it landed on the ground, its height $h$ was the lowest among the three situations. When it perched on the bird - feeder, it was at a height above the ground but higher than when on the ground. Since $m$ and $g$ are constant and $U$ is directly proportional to $h$, the least gravitational potential energy occurs when $h$ is the smallest, which is when the blue jay landed on the ground.