Find the potential energy of the boy of mass 10kg standing on a building floor 10 meters above the ground

1 answer

The potential energy (PE) of an object raised to a height can be calculated using the formula:

\[ PE = mgh \]

where:

  • \( m \) is the mass of the object (in kilograms),
  • \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \) on the surface of the Earth),
  • \( h \) is the height above the ground (in meters).

Given:

  • \( m = 10 , \text{kg} \)
  • \( g = 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \)
  • \( h = 10 , \text{m} \)

Now, substituting the values into the formula:

\[ PE = 10 , \text{kg} \times 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \times 10 , \text{m} \]

\[ PE = 10 \times 9.81 \times 10 = 981 , \text{J} \]

So, the potential energy of the boy is \( 981 , \text{Joules} \).