Question

Suppose there is a soccer ball (2Kg) and a baseball (1 Kg) on a shelf. They are both 1 m above the floor. Which one has the larger gravitation energy? (Hint. It’s not because one is heavier)

Answer 1

Let's calculate the gravitational potential energy of both objects by using the equation:

`U=mgh`
where
m is the mass of the object
g is the gravitational acceleration
h is the height of the object above the ground

For the soccer ball (m=2 kg), the gravitational potential energy is

`U=mgh=(2 kg)(9.81 m/s^2)(1 m)=19.6 J`
While for the basketball (m=1 kg) the gravitational potential energy is

`U=mgh=(1 kg)(9.81 m/s^2)(1 m)=9.8 J`

Therefore, we see that the soccer ball has larger gravitational potential energy than the basketball.