a book on a shelf 2.0 meters above the floor has a mas of 1.5 kilograms. what is the gravitational potential energy of the book.

The gravitional potential energy is M*g*H , assuming zero energy is defined as the value at the floor.

g is the acceleration of gravity, 9.8 m/s^2, which you should already be familiar with.

All you have to do is multiply those three numbers. The answer will have units of Joules.

To calculate the gravitational potential energy of an object, you need to multiply its mass (m) by the acceleration due to gravity (g) and the height (h) above the reference point. In this case, the reference point is the floor.

The mass of the book is given as 1.5 kilograms, and the height (h) is 2.0 meters. The acceleration due to gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth.

Now, let's calculate the gravitational potential energy (PE) using the formula:

PE = m * g * h

Substituting the given values:

PE = 1.5 kg * 9.8 m/s² * 2.0 m

PE = 29.4 Joules

Therefore, the gravitational potential energy of the book on the shelf is 29.4 Joules.