a student stands at the edge of a diving board that is 3 m high. the student's weight is 350 N. what is the student's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the water?
A student stands at the edge of a diving board that is 3 m high. The student's weight is 350 N. What is the student's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the water?
102.90
102.90
To find the student's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the water, we need to use the formula:
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) = mass * gravity * height
However, we are given the weight of the student (350 N) instead of the mass. Weight is directly related to mass through the formula:
Weight = mass * gravity
Rearranging this equation, we can solve for mass:
mass = weight / gravity
Given that the weight is 350 N and gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2, we can substitute these values into the equation to find the mass:
mass = 350 N / 9.8 m/s^2
mass ≈ 35.7 kg
Now that we know the mass, we can go back to the original formula for gravitational potential energy:
GPE = mass * gravity * height
Substituting the values we have:
GPE = 35.7 kg * 9.8 m/s^2 * 3 m
GPE ≈ 1048.2 J
Therefore, the student's gravitational potential energy relative to the surface of the water is approximately 1048.2 Joules.