Question

A 1 kg object requires 10 N of force to lift it 5 m from the bottom of a well. (use g = 10 m/s2). The object is then dropped. What is the total energy when the object has fallen halfway down the well (2.5m)?

Answer 1

That depends upon where you define the level of zero potential energy to be. If it is the bottom of the well, the object has 50 J of potential energy when lifted 5 meters from the bottom.

While it falls, it retains that total energy. Half of it will be kinetic energy halfway down.