Question

Which object has the most gravitational potential energy?

Answer 1

Answer: An 8 kg book at a height of 3 m has the most gravitational potential energy.

Explanation:

Gravitational potential energy is the product of mass of object, height of object and gravitational field.

So, formula to calculate gravitational potential energy is as follows.

U = mgh

where,

m = mass of object

g = gravitational field = $9.81 m/s^{2}$

h = height of object

(A) m = 5 kg and h = 2m

Therefore, its gravitational potential energy is calculated as follows.

$U = mgh\\= 5 kg \times 9.81 m/s^{2} \times 2 m\\= 98.1 J (1 J = kg m^{2}/s^{2})$

(B) m = 8 kg and h = 2 m

Therefore, its gravitational potential energy is calculated as follows.

$U = mgh\\= 8 kg \times 9.81 m/s^{2} \times 2 m\\= 156.96 J (1 J = kg m^{2}/s^{2})$

(C) m = 8 kg and h = 3 m

Therefore, its gravitational potential energy is calculated as follows.

$U = mgh\\= 8 kg \times 9.81 m/s^{2} \times 3 m\\= 235.44 J (1 J = kg m^{2}/s^{2})$

(D) m = 5 kg and h = 3 m

Therefore, its gravitational potential energy is calculated as follows.

$U = mgh\\= 5 kg \times 9.81 m/s^{2} \times 3 m\\= 147.15 J (1 J = kg m^{2}/s^{2})$

Thus, we can conclude that an 8 kg book at a height of 3 m has the most gravitational potential energy.