Question

An automobile to be transported by ship is raised 7.0 m above the dock. If its gravitational potential energy is 66,000 J, what is the automobile’s mass

Answer 1

Answer:

$m = 1,347\ kg$

Explanation:

Gravitational Potential Energy

It's the energy stored in an object because of its vertical position or height in a gravitational field.

It can be calculated with the equation:

U=m.g.h

Where:

m = mass of the object

h  = height with respect to a fixed reference

g  = acceleration of gravity, usually taken as $9.8 m/s^2$.

The automobile of unknown mass is raised to a height of h=7 m above the dock, assumed as a reference. The automobile has gravitational potential energy of U=66,000 J.

Let's calculate the mass by solving for m:

$\displaystyle m=\frac{U}{hg}$

$\displaystyle m=\frac{66,000}{5*9.8}$

$\displaystyle m=\frac{66,000}{49}$

$\mathbf{m = 1,347\ kg}$