A 15 kg block of wood is sitting on a 1.5 meter high shelf. Calculate its gravitational potential energy
To calculate the gravitational potential energy of an object, you need to know its mass (m), the acceleration due to gravity (g), and its height (h).
In this case, the mass of the block (m) is given as 15 kg, and the height (h) is given as 1.5 meters. The acceleration due to gravity (g) is a constant value, approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth.
The formula to calculate gravitational potential energy (PE) is:
PE = m * g * h
Substituting the given values into the formula:
PE = 15 kg * 9.8 m/s² * 1.5 m
Now, we can calculate the gravitational potential energy.
PE = 220.5 Joules
Therefore, the gravitational potential energy of the 15 kg block of wood is 220.5 Joules.