n planet Easy Math where gravity is 10 m/s/s, there is a roller coaster with a 5,000 kg train. How much work is done to lift the train up to the top of the hill 100 m above the station? The work done is ________ J.

1 answer

To calculate the work done in lifting the roller coaster train to a height of 100 meters, we can use the work-energy principle which states that the work done against gravity is equal to the increase in potential energy.

The formula for gravitational potential energy (PE) is:

\[ PE = mgh \]

where:

  • \(m\) is the mass (in kg),
  • \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity (in m/s²), and
  • \(h\) is the height (in m).

Given:

  • \(m = 5000 , \text{kg}\),
  • \(g = 10 , \text{m/s}^2\),
  • \(h = 100 , \text{m}\).

Now, substituting in the values:

\[ PE = 5000 , \text{kg} \times 10 , \text{m/s}^2 \times 100 , \text{m} \]

\[ PE = 5000 \times 10 \times 100 \]

\[ PE = 5000000 , \text{J} \]

Thus, the work done to lift the train up to the top of the hill is 5,000,000 J (or 5 MJ).