Question

A rock is raised a height above the surface of the earth, and the separation of the ball and the earth stored 5 J of gravitational potential energy. If an identical rock is raised four times as high, the amount of energy stored in the separation is

A) 20 J
B) 9 J
C) 10 J
D) 40 J

Answer 1

Answer: the correct answer is A) 20 J.

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational potential energy of an object is given by the formula:

Potential energy (PE) = mass (m) * gravitational acceleration (g) * height (h)

Assuming the mass and gravitational acceleration remain constant, the potential energy is directly proportional to the height.

In this case, when the first rock is raised a height h, it stores 5 J of gravitational potential energy.

If an identical rock is raised four times as high, the new height becomes 4h. We can calculate the potential energy using the formula:

PE = m * g * (4h) = 4 * (m * g * h)

Since the potential energy is directly proportional to the height, increasing the height by a factor of 4 increases the potential energy by the same factor.

Therefore, the amount of energy stored in the separation for the second rock is:

4 * 5 J = 20 J