A 1000 kg car is sitting still at the top of a 100 m hill. The potential energy of the car is _____.
a
98,000 Nm
b
420,500 J
c
14,500 J
d
980,000 J
d. 980,000 J
The potential energy of an object is given by the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object (1000 kg), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height (100 m).
PE = (1000 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(100 m) = 980,000 J