Calculate Potential Energy of a 50 kg Person
How much Potential energy does a 50 kg person have if they were at the top of a 20 m tall building (assume gravity is 10 m/s2)?
One type of energy that an object has as a result of its location or position is known as potential energy. It is the energy that is contained within an object and is available to be converted into other forms of energy and used to do work.
The formula to calculate potential energy is E = mgh, where E is the potential energy, m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the object.
Answer:
If a 50 kg person is at the top of a 20 m tall building with gravity at 10 m/s2, the potential energy can be calculated as follows:
Given:
Mass (m) = 50 kg
Height (h) = 20 m
Gravity (g) = 10 m/s²
Using the formula E = mgh:
E = (50 kg) * (10 m/s²) * (20 m) = 10,000 kg·m²/s²
Therefore, a 50 kg person at the top of a 20 m tall building has 10,000 kg/m/s2 of potential energy.
This potential energy is the gravitational potential energy possessed by a person due to their position relative to the height of the building.