Final answer:
A 60 kg man walking up stairs that are 8m tall will store up 4708.8 Joules of gravitational potential energy, calculated using the equation PE = mgh, with 'm' being the mass, 'g' being the acceleration due to gravity, and 'h' being the height.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves calculating the amount of gravitational potential energy (GPE) gained by a person as they move upward against Earth's gravity. The equation for gravitational potential energy, which is essential to solve this problem, is PE = mgh, where:
- m is the mass of the object in kilograms (kg),
- g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s² on Earth), and
- h is the height the object is raised to in meters (m).
Given that the man weighs 60 kg and the stairs are 8 meters tall, we can substitute the values into the equation to find the gravitational potential energy:
- Equation: PE = mgh
- Solve for PE: PE = 60 kg * 9.81 m/s² * 8 m
- Substitute: Calculate the PE to find a value of 4708.8 Joules
Therefore, the man has stored up 4708.8 Joules of gravitational potential energy by walking up the stairs.