1. give one example of low gravitational potential energy
2. give one example of high gravitational potential energy
cellar
attic
i forgot to write it at the top, my teacher wants an explanation of the example
1. One example of an object with low gravitational potential energy is a ball resting on the ground. To understand why, we need to know that gravitational potential energy is the energy possessed by an object due to its position above the ground. When the ball is on the ground, it is at its lowest point and therefore its gravitational potential energy is minimal.
To calculate gravitational potential energy (PE) for an object near the surface of the earth, we can use the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²), and h is the height or vertical distance above a reference point (usually the ground).
So, when the ball is at ground level, the height (h) is zero, resulting in very low or negligible gravitational potential energy.
2. An example of an object with high gravitational potential energy is a roller coaster at the peak of a hill. The roller coaster gains potential energy as it moves up the hill, reaching its highest point at the peak.
Using the same formula PE = mgh, the roller coaster at the peak has a considerable height (h) above the ground. The higher the roller coaster climbs, the greater the height, resulting in a larger gravitational potential energy. At the peak, the roller coaster has the maximum gravitational potential energy before it begins descending, converting the potential energy into kinetic energy as it gains speed.