Final answer:
The gravitational potential energy of a 0.162 kg rock at a height of 3.65 m above the ground should be calculated using the formula GPE = mgh. Using the standard acceleration due to gravity, the GPE is 5.80434 J, which doesn't match any of the provided options, suggesting a mistake in the question or answer choices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The gravitational potential energy (GPE) of an object can be calculated using the formula GPE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (usually 9.8 m/s² on Earth), and h is the height above the ground. In the case of the rock with a mass of 0.162 kg at a height of 3.65 m, the gravitational potential energy would be:
GPE = mgh = 0.162 kg × 9.8 m/s² × 3.65 m
GPE = 5.80434 J
However, this value is not one of the options provided in the question. The answer may have been rounded to the nearest option, but none of the given choices are correct based on the standard value for g. If using 10 m/s² as an approximation for g, for simplicity, the GPE would then be:
GPE = 0.162 kg × 10 m/s² × 3.65 m
GPE = 5.913 J
This still does not match any of the options provided, so there may be a mistake in the question or the answers provided. Assuming a correct calculation and the standard acceleration due to gravity, none of the options are the correct gravitational potential energy for the given scenario. If we were forced to choose among the provided options, the closest would be 0.595 J by subjecting the answer to significant rounding errors, but this would not be standard practice in a physics calculation.