A student lifts a 1.2 kg bag from her desk, which is 0.59 m high, to a locker that is 2.9 m high. What is the gravitational potential energy of the bag relative to the desk?
PE=mgh
1.2(9.80)(2.9)
= 34.1
No, you need height relative to the desk.
To calculate the gravitational potential energy (PE) of an object, you can use the equation PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height.
In this case, the mass of the bag (m) is given as 1.2 kg, the height difference (h) is the distance between the desk and the locker, which is (2.9 - 0.59) m = 2.31 m, and the acceleration due to gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.
Now let's plug in these values into the equation:
PE = 1.2 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 2.31 m
PE = 34.1 Joules (rounded to one decimal place)
So, the gravitational potential energy of the bag relative to the desk is 34.1 Joules.