Mrs. Wade puts a bucket of paint on top of a ladder. The bucket has a mass of 20 kg. The top of the ladder is 5 meters tall. How much potential energy does the bucket have?

Question

a
100 J
b
980 J
c
40 J
d
cannot be determined

Answer 1

The potential energy of an object can be calculated using the formula:

Potential energy = mass x gravity x height

where the mass is in kilograms, gravity is 9.8 m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity on Earth), and height is in meters.

Using this formula, we can calculate the potential energy of the bucket of paint:

Potential energy = 20 kg x 9.8 m/s^2 x 5 m = 980 J

Therefore, the potential energy of the bucket of paint is 980 J, which corresponds to option b.