Wouldn\'t this be a question involving Gravitational Potential Energy? I can not

Question

Wouldn't this be a question involving Gravitational Potential Energy? I can not think of anything else to use here and the textbok doesn't seem to be helping.

A crate of mass M starts from rest at the top of a frictionless ramp inclined at an angle above the horizontal. Find its speed at the bottom of the ramp, a distance d from where it started. Do this in two ways:

(a) Take the level at which the potential energy is zero to be at the bottom of the ramp with y positive upward. (Use any variable or symbol stated above as necessary.) v = m/s

(b) Take the zero level for potential energy to be at the top of the ramp with y positive upward. (Use any variable or symbol stated above as necessary.) v = m/s

Explanation / Answer

using law od conservation of energy

energy at the bottom = energy at the top

(KE+PE)_bottom = (KE+PE)_top

(0.5*m*v^2) = (m*g*d*sin(alpha))

v = sqrt(2*g*d*sin(alpha)) m/s

B) energy at the bottom = energy at the top

(KE+PE)_bottom = (KE+PE)_top

(m*g*d*sin(alpha)) = (0.5*m*v^2)

v = sqrt(2*g*d*sin(alpha)) m/s

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