To calculate the potential energy (PE) of the water tank, you can use the formula for gravitational potential energy:
\[ PE = m \cdot g \cdot h \]
where:
- \( m \) is the mass of the object (in kilograms),
- \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \)),
- \( h \) is the height above ground (in meters).
Given:
- \( m = 38,000 , \text{kg} \)
- \( g = 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \)
- \( h = 58 , \text{m} \)
Now plug in the values:
\[ PE = 38,000 , \text{kg} \cdot 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \cdot 58 , \text{m} \]
Calculating it step-by-step:
-
Calculate \( g \cdot h \): \[ 9.81 , \text{m/s}^2 \cdot 58 , \text{m} = 569.98 , \text{m}^2/\text{s}^2 \]
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Now multiply by the mass \( m \): \[ PE = 38,000 , \text{kg} \cdot 569.98 , \text{m}^2/\text{s}^2 \approx 21,599,240 , \text{J} \]
So the potential energy of the water tank is approximately \( 21,599,240 , \text{J} \), which can be rounded to \( 21,599,200 , \text{J} \).
The correct answer is:
21,599,200 J