Describe clearly how you would find out if the mass of a ball would affect the gravitational potential energy it possesses.

Sure, here are the steps to find out if the mass of a ball would affect the gravitational potential energy it possesses:

1. Understand the formula: The formula for gravitational potential energy is PE = mgh, where m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. From this formula, it's clear that the mass of the ball (m) is a factor in determining the gravitational potential energy.

2. Set up an experiment: You would need to set up an experiment where you can control the variables. You would need balls of different masses but of the same size and material. The height from which the balls are dropped should also be the same for each trial.

3. Measure the mass: Use a scale to measure the mass of each ball. Record these values.

4. Drop the balls: Drop each ball from the same height and use a tool to measure the potential energy. This could be done using a high-speed camera and software to track the motion of the ball, or a simple setup with a ruler to measure the height the ball bounces back up to (this would be a rough estimate, as it doesn't account for energy lost to air resistance or deformation of the ball).

5. Record and analyze data: Record the potential energy for each ball. Analyze the data to see if there's a correlation between the mass of the ball and the potential energy it possesses.

6. Conclusion: If the mass of the ball does affect the gravitational potential energy, you should see a clear trend in your data. For example, as the mass increases, the potential energy should also increase, according to the formula PE = mgh.

Remember, this is a simplified version of the experiment and doesn't account for all possible variables or sources of error.