Question

A mole dug a path from its underground burrow directly to the surface of the ground above its burrow. Complete the statement. Assume that the mole's mass did not change. The gravitational potential energy stored between the mole and Earth ____as the mole dug toward the surface.

a) increased
b) decreased
c) stayed the same

Answer 1

The gravitational potential energy of a mole increases as it digs from its burrow to the surface, due to its ascending to a higher position within the Earth's gravitational field. Option A is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

When discussing the movement of an object in a gravitational field, such as when a mole digs from its burrow to the surface, we must consider the concept of gravitational potential energy (GPE). The GPE of an object near the Earth's surface is calculated based on the object’s mass (m), the height (h) above a reference level (often taken at ground level), and the gravitational acceleration (g), which on Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s2. The formula for gravitational potential energy is GPE = mgh.

As the mole moves from its burrow to the surface, it is moving against the Earth's gravitational field and ascending to a higher position. This implies that the mole's height (h) in the gravitational field is increasing.

Following the formula GPE = mgh, as the height increases and since the mass (m) of the mole and the gravitational acceleration (g) are constant, the gravitational potential energy will increase. Therefore, as the mole goes towards the surface, the gravitational potential energy stored between the mole and Earth increases.