Question

A block with a mass of 8.7 kg is dropped from rest from a height of 8.7 m, and remains at rest after hitting the ground. 1)If we consider the system to consist of the block, the ground, and the surrounding air, what is the change in the internal energy of the system

Answer 1

To solve this problem we will apply the concepts related to gravitational potential energy.

This can be defined as the product between mass, gravity and body height.

Mathematically it can be expressed as

$\Delta P = mgh$

$\Delta P = (8.7)(9.8)(3)$

$\Delta P = 255.78J$

Therefore the change in the internal energy of the system is 255.78