Two students make the following claims: Student 1 claims that the work done by the gravitational force on an object as it falls depends only on the vertical distance of the fall. Student 2 claims that the gravitational force does less work on an object that falls gradually along a shallow incline than one that falls along a steeper incline.
The students run several trials of an experiment in which a cart is allowed to travel down an incline that can be set at different angles. The cart is released from the same height h in each trial and the following measurements are made:
the angle θ of the incline
the distance d the cart travels along the incline
the time t it takes the cart to move down the incline
the speed v of the cart at the bottom of the incline

Which of the following indicates which student made the correct claim and has data to support this claim?

a) Student 2 is correct because as θ is increased, t decreases.
b) Student 2 is correct because as θ is increased, d increases.
c) Student 2 is correct because as θ is increased, h is the same.
d) Student 1 is correct because as θ is increased, v is the same.
e) Student 1 is correct because as θ is increased, h is the same.