EMCC Biology Test 2 Practice 2025 – Your All-in-One Complete Study Guide to Exam Success!

When you are at the top of the stairs, you possess a certain amount of potential energy due to your height above the ground. This potential energy is calculated based on your height, mass, and the acceleration due to gravity. If you start with a potential energy of 40 Joules at the top, this energy is a measure of the work done against gravity to reach that height.

As you descend the stairs, your height decreases, and consequently, your potential energy decreases as well. When you reach the bottom of the stairs, your height relative to the ground is now zero. Since potential energy is directly related to height, when you are at ground level, your potential energy will be zero, confirming that it is 0 Joules at the bottom.

This concept is rooted in the principle of conservation of energy, where the potential energy transforms into kinetic energy as you move down, but at the bottom, the potential component becomes zero.