A 45-kg person drinks 390. g of milk, which has a "caloric" value of approximately 3.0 kJ/g. If only 17% of the energy in milk is converted to mechanical work, how high (in meters) can the person climb based on this energy intake? [Hint: The work done in ascending is given by mgh, where m is the mass (in kilograms), g the gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/s2), and h the height (in meters.)]

I presume the 17% means that work from the milk is 3.0 kJ/g x 390 g x 0.17 = ? kJ of work.

Then plug this into work = mgh as shown in the problem and solve for h = height in meters.

To solve this problem, we first need to calculate the energy intake from drinking the milk, then find the height the person can climb using that energy.

Step 1: Calculate the energy intake from drinking the milk
The person drinks 390 grams of milk, and the caloric value of the milk is approximately 3.0 kJ/g. We can use these values to find the total energy intake.

Energy intake = mass of milk * caloric value
Energy intake = 390 g * 3.0 kJ/g

When calculating with different units, it's important to ensure they are consistent. We need to convert grams to kilograms since the gravitational acceleration is given in m/s².

Energy intake = (390 g / 1000) kg * 3.0 kJ/g
Energy intake = 0.39 kg * 3.0 kJ/g

Step 2: Calculate the work done using the energy intake
We are given that only 17% of the energy is converted to mechanical work. We can calculate the work done using this information.

Work done = energy intake * conversion efficiency
Work done = 0.39 kg * 3.0 kJ/g * 0.17

Step 3: Calculate the height the person can climb
The work done is equal to the potential energy gained by climbing to a certain height. We can use the equation: work done = mgh. In this case, we need to solve for h.

Work done = m * g * h

Rearranging the equation, we find:

h = work done / (m * g)

Let's substitute the calculated values:

h = (0.39 kg * 3.0 kJ/g * 0.17) / (45 kg * 9.8 m/s²)

Simplifying the expression:

h = (0.39 kg * 3.0 kJ/g * 0.17) / (45 kg * 9.8 m/s²)

h ≈ 0.015 m

Therefore, the person can climb to a height of approximately 0.015 meters based on the energy intake from drinking the milk.