High School

A 7.00 kg bowling ball is held 2.00 m above the ground. Using [tex]g = 9.80 \, \text{m/s}^2[/tex], what is the potential energy of the ball due to its position?

A. 68.6 J
B. 137 J
C. 274 J
D. 960 J

Answer :

To find the gravitational potential energy of the bowling ball, we can use the formula for gravitational potential energy (GPE):

[tex]\[ \text{GPE} = \text{mass} \times g \times \text{height} \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\(\text{mass} = 7.00 \, \text{kg}\)[/tex] (the mass of the bowling ball),
- [tex]\(g = 9.80 \, \text{m/s}^2\)[/tex] (the acceleration due to gravity), and
- [tex]\(\text{height} = 2.00 \, \text{m}\)[/tex] (the height above the ground).

Substitute these values into the formula:

[tex]\[ \text{GPE} = 7.00 \, \text{kg} \times 9.80 \, \text{m/s}^2 \times 2.00 \, \text{m} \][/tex]

Now, we can calculate the GPE:

[tex]\[ \text{GPE} = 137.2 \, \text{J} \][/tex]

When considering the options provided, you can round [tex]\(137.2\)[/tex] to the nearest whole number to match the choices:

- 68.6 J
- 137 J
- 274 J
- 960 J

Therefore, the gravitational potential energy due to the ball's position is approximately 137 J.