What is the gravitational potential energy of a 61.2-kg person standing on the roof of a 10-story building relative to the tenth floor, sixth floor, and first floor? Each story is 3.50 m high.

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I Don't understand this at all :( please help me

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Answer 1 · 2018-02-28T02:45:51

Gravitational Potential Energy = #m*g*h#

In your case, you can calculate the GPE at each height.

Starting at the top, #m = 61.2kg# #g = 9.8 m/s^2# # h = 3.5*10= 35m#

So, your max GPE is #61.2*9.8*35 = 20991.6 # Joules

The next height is th 6th floor, so it is #3.5m*6=21m# high

The GPE at 21 m on the 6th floor is #61.2*9.8*21=12594.96# J

So, the difference between the 10th and 6th floor is #20991.6-12594.96=8396.64# J

Repeat those calculations for the first floor, and you can compare GPE at each height and find the difference in GPE between any two floors