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38 votes
Which object has more GPE? Ball A is twice as massive as Ball B, but Ball B is twice the height of ball A?

User AshK
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1 Answer

20 votes
20 votes

The formula for calculating gravitational potential energy is expressed as

GPE = mgh

where

m represents the mass of the object

g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s^2

h is the height of the object

Let mass of ball B be m and height of ball A be h.

If mass of ball A is twice mass of ball B, then mass of ball A = 2m

If height of ball B is twice the height of ball A, it means that height of ball B is 2h

Thus,

GPE of ball A = 2m x g x h = 2mgh

GPE of ball B = m x g x 2h = 2mgh

Thus, both objects have the same GPE

User Anubhav Grover
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