Question

A large drill is used to make a hole through rocks in the earths surface to excavate for oil

Answer 1

Answer:

$\Delta GPE = mg\Delta h$

Explanation:

The gravitational potential energy of an object is the energy possessed by the object due to its location in the gravitational field.

This energy is always measured as a difference with respect a "zero level" - generally taken as the ground level.

Therefore, it generally makes more sense to measure the change in gravitational potential energy of an object when its height is changed; this is given by:

$\Delta GPE = mg\Delta h$

where:

m is the mass of the object

$g=9.8 m/s^2$ is the acceleration due to gravity

$\Delta h$ is the change in height of the object