A 10 kg object is dropped from a height of 20 m. What is its potential energy at
Practice Questions
Q1
A 10 kg object is dropped from a height of 20 m. What is its potential energy at the top? (2020)
200 J
1000 J
1500 J
3000 J
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A 10 kg object is dropped from a height of 20 m. What is its potential energy at the top? (2020)
Step 1: Identify the mass of the object. In this case, the mass is 10 kg.
Step 2: Identify the height from which the object is dropped. Here, the height is 20 m.
Step 3: Identify the acceleration due to gravity (g). It is approximately 10 m/s².
Step 4: Use the formula for potential energy: Potential Energy = mass × g × height.
Step 5: Substitute the values into the formula: Potential Energy = 10 kg × 10 m/s² × 20 m.
Step 6: Calculate the potential energy: 10 × 10 = 100, then 100 × 20 = 2000.
Step 7: Conclude that the potential energy at the top is 2000 Joules (J).
Potential Energy – The energy possessed by an object due to its position in a gravitational field, calculated using the formula PE = mass × g × height.
Gravitational Acceleration – The acceleration due to gravity, commonly approximated as 9.81 m/s² but often rounded to 10 m/s² for simplicity in calculations.