A 100-n boulder is sitting on a shelf 0.5 meters above the floor.
What is the potential energy when its in its new location?
I will be happy to critique your thinking.
To calculate the potential energy, we need to know the mass of the boulder (m), the acceleration due to gravity (g), and the height (h) above the ground. In this case, we have the mass (m) as 100 kg and the height (h) as 0.5 meters.
The formula to calculate the potential energy (PE) is:
PE = m * g * h
where:
- PE is the potential energy
- m is the mass of the object
- g is the acceleration due to gravity
- h is the height above the reference point (in this case, the ground)
Now, let's plug in the given values:
m = 100 kg
g ≈ 9.8 m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity)
h = 0.5 meters
PE = 100 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 0.5 meters
Calculating the expression, we get:
PE ≈ 490 J
Therefore, the potential energy of the boulder in its new location is approximately 490 Joules.