Question

A .422 kg coffee mug rests on a table top 0.63 m above the floor. What is the potential energy of the mug with respect to the floor?

Answer 1

2.61 J

Step-by-step explanation:

Since potential energy U = mgy where m = mass of object, g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s² and y = height of object above the ground.

Now for the coffee mug, m= 0.422 kg and it is 0.63 m on a table, so it is 0.63 m above the ground. Thus, y = 0.63 m.

We compute U

U = mgy

= 0.422 kg × 9.8 m/s² × 0.63 m

= 2.605 J

≅ 2.61 J

So, the potential energy of the mug with respect to the floor is 2.61 J