If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy
Practice Questions
Q1
If the mass of an object is doubled, how does its gravitational potential energy change at a constant height?
It remains the same
It doubles
It halves
It quadruples
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
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.
