Final answer:
The net gravitational potential energy given to a 5 kg box lifted 3 m from the floor is 150 joules, calculated using the formula GPE = mgh.
Step-by-step explanation:
The problem given is a classic example of calculating gravitational potential energy (GPE) in a physics context.
The formula to calculate the gravitational potential energy given an object's mass (m), the gravitational acceleration (g), and the height (h) the object is lifted is GPE = mgh.
Here, "m" represents the mass of the object in kilograms, "g" is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth, but often rounded to 10 m/s² for simplicity in calculations), and "h" is the height in meters.
For a 5 kg box lifted 3 m from the floor, we use the values m = 5 kg, g = 9.8 m/s² (rounded to 10 m/s² for simplicity), and h = 3 m. Plugging these values into the formula, we have:
GPE = mgh
= 5 kg × 10 m/s² × 3 m
= 150 J (joules).
Therefore, the net gravitational potential energy given to the box from the floor to a height of 3 meters is 150 joules. This energy would be released as kinetic energy if the box were to fall from that height.