If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy

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Question: If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy change at a constant height?

Options:

Correct Answer: It doubles

Solution:

The gravitational potential energy U = mgh will double if the mass m is doubled at constant height h.

If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy change at a constant height?

If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy change at a constant height?

Step 1: Understand the formula for gravitational potential energy, which is U = mgh.
Step 2: Identify the variables in the formula: m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height.
Step 3: Note that if the mass (m) is doubled, we can represent the new mass as 2m.
Step 4: Substitute the new mass into the formula: U = (2m)gh.
Step 5: Simplify the equation: U = 2(mgh).
Step 6: Conclude that the new gravitational potential energy is twice the original energy, meaning it has doubled.

Gravitational Potential Energy – Gravitational potential energy is the energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field, calculated using the formula U = mgh, where m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height.
Direct Proportionality – The relationship between mass and gravitational potential energy is directly proportional, meaning if one increases, the other increases correspondingly, provided height and gravitational acceleration remain constant.