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

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

Options:

Correct Answer: It halves

Solution:

The gravitational potential energy U = mgh is directly proportional to the mass, so if the mass is halved, the potential energy also halves.

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

If the mass of an object is halved, 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: U is gravitational potential energy, m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height.
Step 3: Note that g and h are constant in this scenario, meaning they do not change.
Step 4: If the mass (m) is halved, we can represent the new mass as m/2.
Step 5: Substitute the new mass into the formula: U = (m/2)gh.
Step 6: Simplify the equation: U = (1/2)(mgh).
Step 7: This shows that the new gravitational potential energy is half of the original potential energy.

Gravitational Potential Energy – Gravitational potential energy (U) is calculated using the formula U = mgh, where m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. It shows that potential energy is directly proportional to mass.