A 45 kg baby brown bear climbs 12 meters up a tree to see if he can spot the best blueberry patch in the valley. What is the brown bear's potential energy?

a
10,584 J
b
2,646 J
c
63,504 J
d
5,292 J

1 answer

The potential energy of an object is given by the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height of the object above some reference point.

Plugging in the numbers, we get:

PE = (45 kg)(9.8 m/s^2)(12 m) = 5,292 J

Therefore, the brown bear's potential energy is 5,292 J.

Answer: d) 5,292 J