An object is released from rest high above the surface of the earth. when it has fallen halfway to the surface, its kinetic energy is ke1. after it has fallen twice as far, just before it hits the surface of the earth, its kinetic energy is ke2. 1) how does ke2 compare to twice ke1?

Ohm's law tells you that i = v/r where v is equivalent voltage and r is equivalent resistance of the circuit
since all circuits have the same voltage, your question is really asking which circuit has the lowest total resistance, since the lower the resistance, the higher the current
circuit a has a resistance of 5 ohms; circuit c is in series so has a resistance of 10 ohms; circuit b is in parallel and therefore has a resistance of 2.5 ohms (review your notes on adding resistances in parallel and series); therefore b has the highest current

If the heat engine is a perfect carnot cycle engine, thenefficiency = (t2-t1)/t2   where t1=temperature of cold reservoir ( ° k) = 135            t2=temperature of hot reservoir ( ° k)   = 325thereforeefficiency = (t2-t1)/t2 = (325-135)/325 = 0.5846 = 58%  note: this is the theoretical maximum efficiency of a perfect heat engine.   real-life engines do not achieve this value.