Keaton is asked to solve the following physics problem:
what determines the speed at which a ball will drop from a five-story building?
he is given six balls and a tall box. demonstrating his ability to think within the formal operational stage, keaton will likely
a. begin by climbing onto the box and dropping all of the balls
b. lower the height at which the balls are dropped
c. think about the problem first, systematically consider all factors, and form a hypothesis
d. take a vivid guess that the larger the ball, the faster the speed

The answer is C "think about the problem first, systematically consider all factors, and form a hypothesis"

Explanation:

In physics there is some basic fomula that sir Isacc Newton proposed under the topic of motion. The three formulas are below;

1) v=u+at

2)v^2=u^2+2as

3)s=ut+(1/2)(at^2)

the variables are explained below;

u= initial velocity of the body

a=acceleration/Speed of the body

t= time taken by the body while travelling

s= displacement of the body.

Therefore to solve keatons problem, the factors(variables) in the formulas above need to be systematically considered. Since the ball was dropped from the top of the building, the initial velocity is 0 because the body was at rest. Also the acceleration will be acceleration due to gravity (9.8m/s^2)