Answer
Statement B is true.
Work Step by Step
Mechanical energy is conserved in this problem (because there is no air resistance). The springs start out compressed the same, and both masses are at y = 0, so the initial mechanical energy of each system is the same.
a. The final potential energy is mass multiplied by g multiplied by the final height (because we let height = 0 at the start). The final gravitational potential energies are the same. The heavier mass reaches a lower final height than the smaller mass.
b. They do have the same final gravitational energy, as explained above. Mechanical energy is conserved, they start with the same energy, and so they end with the same energy (at the end, kinetic energy and spring potential energy are zero).
