Question
When the mass of an object is decreased but its position does not change, its potential energy ______.
Multiple choice question.
does not change
decreases
increases
Multiple choice question.
does not change
decreases
increases
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is: **decreases**.
When the mass of an object is decreased while its position remains the same, its potential energy, which is calculated using the formula \( PE = mgh \) (where \( m \) is mass, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is height), will decrease since the mass \( m \) is a factor in the potential energy calculation.
When the mass of an object is decreased while its position remains the same, its potential energy, which is calculated using the formula \( PE = mgh \) (where \( m \) is mass, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is height), will decrease since the mass \( m \) is a factor in the potential energy calculation.