The potential energy of an apple is 4.5 joules. The apple is 3.2 meters high. What is the mass of the apple?

1 Answer

The mass of the apple is #143.5 g#

Explanation:

Potential energy in joules is mass (in kg,) multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/sec^2) multiplied by height in meters.

#E_p=mgh#

Rearranging to make the mass the subject:

#m=E_p/(gh) = 4.5/(9.8*3.2) = 0.143# #kg# or #143# #g#

Hence it is 4.5 divided by (9.8 times 3.2) multiplied by 1000 for converting into grams, i.e. approximately #143.5 g#.