A roller-coaster car is at the top of a hill. The car and its passengers have a combined mass of 1,088 kilograms. If the hill is 62 meters tall, how much potential energy does the car have?
P E = mgh
To calculate the potential energy (PE) of the roller-coaster car, we can use the formula:
PE = m * g * h
where:
m = mass (in kilograms)
g = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2)
h = height (in meters)
Given:
m = 1,088 kilograms
g = 9.8 m/s^2
h = 62 meters
Plugging in the values into the formula:
PE = 1,088 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 62 m
PE = 660,304 Joules
Therefore, the roller-coaster car has 660,304 Joules of potential energy.