College

If an 8.5 kg ball is thrown upwards 16 m, what is the potential energy gained by the ball?

Use [tex]$g = 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2$[/tex] for the acceleration due to gravity.

A. 157 J
B. 83.4 J
C. 136 J
D. [tex]$1,334 \, \text{J}$[/tex]

Answer :

To find the potential energy gained by a ball when it is thrown upwards, we can use the formula for gravitational potential energy:

[tex]\[ \text{Potential Energy (PE)} = m \times g \times h \][/tex]

Where:
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass of the ball (in kilograms),
- [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is the acceleration due to gravity (in meters per second squared), and
- [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is the height the ball is raised to (in meters).

Let's plug in the values given in the problem:

1. Mass ([tex]\( m \)[/tex]) = 8.5 kg
2. Acceleration due to gravity ([tex]\( g \)[/tex]) = 9.81 m/s[tex]\(^2\)[/tex]
3. Height ([tex]\( h \)[/tex]) = 16 m

Now, we perform the calculation:

[tex]\[ \text{PE} = 8.5 \, \text{kg} \times 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \times 16 \, \text{m} \][/tex]

[tex]\[ \text{PE} = 1334.16 \, \text{J} \][/tex]

So, the potential energy gained by the ball is approximately [tex]\( 1334.16 \, \text{J} \)[/tex].

Looking at the provided options, the closest match is:

d) [tex]\( 1,334 \, \text{J} \)[/tex]

Therefore, the correct answer is d) 1,334 J.