Question

A 20g book laying on a 40cm high table. Just before a cat knocks it off the table what is the books gravitational potential energy?

Answer 1

The book gravitational potential energy is 0.0784 Joules.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given:

Mass of book, m = 20 g = 20 ÷ 1000 = 0.02 kg

Table height, h = 40 cm =40 ÷ 100 = 0.4 m

To Find:

Gravitational Potential Energy = ?

Solution:

Gravitational Potential Energy :

Gravitational potential energy is energy an object possesses because of its position in a gravitational field.

Formula is given by

`\textrm{Gravitational Potential Energy}= m* g* h`

Where,

m = mass

g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s²

h = height

Substituting the values we get

`\textrm{Gravitational Potential Energy}= 0.02* 9.8* 0.4\\\\\textrm{Gravitational Potential Energy}=0.0784 Joules`

The book gravitational potential energy is 0.0784 Joules.