Question

A superhero ken,, who has a mass of 63.1kg, is pursuing the 80.1kg nemesis John. He leaps from the ground to the top of a building that is 155m, then dives off it and comes to rest at the bottom of a 15.1m excavation site where he finds John.

Does all this bring about a net gain or a net loss of gravitational potential energy?

a. gain
b. loss

By how much will gravitational potential energy (Ug) change? Answer with a positive number and assume g=9.81m/s^2

Answer 1

When superhero Ken leaps from the ground to the top of the building, it causes a net gain in gravitational potential energy. The change in gravitational potential energy is 88,199.59 J.

Step-by-step explanation:

When superhero Ken leaps from the ground to the top of the building, he gains gravitational potential energy. This is because he is moving against the force of gravity and increasing his height. So, the answer to the first part of your question is a. gain.

To calculate the change in gravitational potential energy (Ug), we need to find the difference in height between the top of the building and the bottom of the excavation site, and multiply it by the mass of the superhero. The change in Ug is given by the formula Ug = mgh, where m is the mass (63.1 kg), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2), and h is the change in height (155 m - 15.1 m). So, the change in Ug is 63.1 kg imes 9.81 m/s^2 imes (155 m - 15.1 m) = 88,199.59 J. Therefore, the gravitational potential energy increases by 88,199.59 J.