Question

8.)The potential energy of a 40-kg cannonball is 14000 J. How high was the cannon ball to have this much potential energy?

Answer 1

Hey! I empathize with you, as I just started the energy unit in physics as well!

Alright, lets list what we know, and which equation(s) we need.

PE = Gravitational Potential Energy

$PEg = mgh$

m = mass

g = gravity (9.8 m/s^2)

h = height

Guess what?

We need to find the height!

Lets make this more organized:

Known:

m = 40 kg

PE = 14000

g = 9.8 m/s^2

Unknown:

h = ?

================================

Now, if we take a look at the equation PEg = mgh, you will see that we have everything besides the height! So lets solve for the height by substituting in for the variables we know:

14000 J = 40 kg * (9.8 m/s^2) * h

40 * 9.8 = 392  

14000 J = 392 * h

14000/392 = h

35.71 m = h

There we go! If you simply list what you know and don't know, you will find the equation you need to solve the problem.

Have a great day and good luck!