Question #ae590

1 Answer
Jan 10, 2018

#U_g=7.5"J"#

Explanation:

Gravitational potential energy is given by the following equation:

#U_g=mgh#

where:

  • #m# is the mass of the object
  • #g# is the gravitational acceleration constant #=9.81"m"//"s"^2#
  • #h# is the height of the object above the surface of the earth

To say that the hat to weighs #5# newtons is to say that the once of gravity acting upon the hat is equal to #5# newtons, i.e. #mg=5#. Then we can solve for the mass of the hat:

#m=5/g=(5"N")/(9.81"m"//"s"^2)=0.51"kg"#

Given that #h=1.5"m"#:

#U_g=0.51"kg"*9.81"m"//"s"^2*1.5"m"#

#=>color(blue)(=7.5 " joules")#