Mrs. Wade puts a bucket of paint on top of a ladder. The bucket has a mass of 20 kg. The top of the ladder is 5 meters tall. How much potential energy does the bucket have?
a
cannot be determined
b
980 J
c
100 J
d
40 J
The potential energy of an object is given by the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height of the object.
In this case, the mass of the bucket is 20 kg and the height of the ladder is 5 meters. Plugging these values into the formula, we can calculate the potential energy.
PE = (20 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(5 m) = 980 J
Therefore, the potential energy of the bucket is 980 Joules. The answer is (b) 980 J.