Question

What is the gravitational potential energy of a `4 kg` object on a shelf `3/5 m` high?

Answer 1

`U = 23.5` `"J"`

Explanation:

The gravitational potential energy `U` of this object is given by the equation

`U = mgh`

where

• `m` is the mass of the object (`4` `"kg"`)

• `g` is the acceleration due to gravity near Earth's surface (`9.81` `"m/s"^2`)

• `h` is its height, in `"m"`, above the ground (`3/5` `"m"`)

Thus, we have

`U = (4color(white)(l)"kg")(9.81color(white)(l)"m/s"^2)(3/5color(white)(l)"m")`

`= color(red)(ul(23.5color(white)(l)"J"`