A 75 kg skydiver dives out of her airplane 3000 m in the air. How much potential energy will she have left 1/4 of the way down?
PE=mgh
75(3000)(.25)
= 5.5 x 10^5
What does 1/4 the way down mean?
To calculate the potential energy of the skydiver, we use the equation PE = mgh, where PE is the potential energy, m is the mass of the skydiver, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth), and h is the height.
In this case, the mass of the skydiver is given as 75 kg and the height is 3000 m. We need to find the potential energy 1/4 of the way down, which means the height would be (1/4) * 3000 = 750 m.
Plugging the values into the equation:
PE = 75 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 750 m
PE = 5.5 x 10^5 Joules
Therefore, the skydiver will have approximately 5.5 x 10^5 Joules of potential energy left 1/4 of the way down.