Question

How much potential energy due to gravity would a person have if they were standing on top of a building that is 51.9 m high? Assume that they have a mass of 97.3 kg.

Answer 1

Take into account that the gravitational potential energy is given by:

U = m*g*h

where,

m: mass of the person = 97.3kg

g: gravitational acceleration constant = 9.8m/s^2

h: height of the top of the building = 51.9m

Replace the previous values of the parameters into the formula for U and simplify:

U = (97.3kg)(9.8m/s^2)(51.9m)

U = 49488.726 J

Hence, the potential energy is approximately 49488.726J