Question

A 59.31 kg rock is sitting at the top of a cliff that is 300 m tall. What is the gravitational potential energy of that rock?

Answer 1

Answer:

The gravitational potential energy of that rock is 174371.4 J.

Explanation:

Given

• Mass m = 59.31 kg

• Height h = 300 m

To determine

We need to find the gravitational potential energy of the rock

We know that the potential energy of a body is termed as the stored energy due to its position.

One kind of energy comes from Earth's gravity — Gravitational potential energy (GPE).

Gravitational potential energy (GPE) can be determined using the formula

$GPE = mgh$

where

• $m$ is the mass

• $g$ is the gravitational acceleration which is equal to g = 9.8 m/s²

• $h$ is the height

• GPE is the Gravitational potential energy

now substituting m = 59.31, h = 300 and g = 9.8

$GPE = mgh$

         $=59.31\times 9.8\times 300$

         $=174371.4$ J

Therefore, the gravitational potential energy of that rock is 174371.4 J.