Final answer:
The work done by the girl lifting a ball is 2.5 Joules, calculated by the product of the force applied and the distance moved in the direction of the force. By parallel, a person climbing stairs does work equivalent to the increase in gravitational potential energy, calculated by the product of the climber's mass, gravitational acceleration, and height gained.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has asked how much work a girl does when lifting a 2 kg ball from the ground up vertically to a height of 0.5 meters with a force of 5 N. In physics, the work done by a force is calculated by the formula Work (W) = Force (F) × Distance (d), where the force is in the direction of the displacement. The force given is 5 N, and the vertical displacement is 0.5 meters, thus the work done is W = 5 N × 0.5 m = 2.5 Joules.
To further illustrate the concept with an example, let's use the information provided about a 75.0-kg person climbing stairs, gaining 2.50 meters in height. The gravitational potential energy (GPE) gained by the climber is given by the formula GPE = mass (m) × gravitational acceleration (g) × height (h). In this case, GPE = 75.0 kg × 9.8 m/s2 × 2.5 m = 1837.5 Joules. This value represents the work done against gravity to climb the stairs with no friction considered.