Question

The superheroine Xanaxa, who has a mass of 65.1 kg , is pursuing the 78.7 kg archvillain Lexlax. She leaps from the ground to the top of a 153 m high building then dives off it and comes to rest at the bottom of a 17.5 m deep excavation where she finds Lexlax and neutralizes him. Does all this bring about a net gain or a net loss of gravitational potential energy

Answer 1

There is net loss of gravitational energy .

Step-by-step explanation:

When Xanaxa is on the ground , her potential energy is assumed to be zero . When she leaps to a height of 153 m , she gains gravitational energy . When she dives and reaches the surface , she loses potential energy and on reaching the ground her potential energy becomes zero . When she further goes down inside ground to a depth of 17.5 m , she loses potential energy further . Her potential energy becomes less than zero or negative .

Ultimately her potential energy changes from zero to negative in the whole process . So there is net loss of potential energy .