Question

What is the relationship between height and gravitational potential energy of water behind a dam?

Answer 1

Answer:

3. $h^2$

Explanation:

Energy of volume contained in a dam is given by

$E=\dfrac{1}{2}A\rho gh^2$

where,

A = Horizontal surface area of the barrage

$\rho$ = Density of water

g = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 m/s²

h =  Vertical tidal range,

It can be seen that

$E\propto h^2$

Hence, the energy is proportional to $h^2$