Question

an apple in a tree has a gravitational potential energy of 175J and a mass of 0.36g . how high from the ground is the apple

Answer 1

The equation for potential energy is denoted as; 

Pe = mgh,

where m = the mass, g = acceleration due to gravity, and h = vertical height of the apple. We are given the units for everything but height, which is also what we are solving for. We can then algebraically rearrange our initial equation to solve for h;

h = (Pe)/(mg)

Plug in your given units, and solve!





Post-check:

h = Pe/mg

h = 175J/(0.36g)(-9.81m/s^2)

h = appr. 49.5 meters

Note: Potential energy is a vector quantity; the displacement of the apple will be a negative number, but the distance itself, a scalar quantity, will be the absolute value of that.