Question

Suppose a skydiver (mass = 80kg) is falling toward the Earth. Calculate the skydiver’s gravitational potential energy at a point when the skydiver is 100m above the Earth.
(Show the equation, show your work and answer with units.)

Answer 1

Answer:

80,000 Joules or 80KJ

Explanation:

Gravitational potential energy is defined as the energy possessed by a body under the influence of gravitational force. The body will therefore possess acceleration due to gravity (g).

Mathematically,

Gravitational potential energy = mass (m) × acceleration due to gravity (g) × height (h)

Given mass of skydiver = 80kg

Height = 100m

taking g = 10m/s²

Substituting the values given in the formula to get the gravitational potential energy, we will have;

GPE = 80×100×10

GPE = 80,000Joules

GPE = 80KJ

Answer 2

Answer:

The gravitational potential energy of the skydiver=$79200 k g m^{2} / s^{2}$

Given:

Mass of the skydiver=80kg

Distance of the skydiver from the earth=100m

To find:

Gravitational potential energy of the skydiver

Step by Step Explanation:

Solution:

According to the formula, Gravitational Potential Energy (GHE) is calculated as

$\text {Gravitational Potential Energy(GHE)}=m g h$

Where m= Mass of the skydiver

g=Acceleration due to gravity

h=Distance of the skydiver from the earth

Substitute the known values in the above equation we get

$G H E=80 \times 9.8 \times 100$

$=79200 \mathrm{kg} \mathrm{m}^{2} / \mathrm{s}^{2}$

Result:

Thus the gravitational potential energy of the skydiver is =$79200 k g m^{2} / s^{2}$