College

What is the potential energy of a 25 kg bicycle resting at the top of a hill 3 m high?

(Formula: [tex]PE = mgh[/tex])

A. 75 J
B. 735 J
C. 245 J
D. 37.8 J

Answer :

To find the potential energy of a 25 kg bicycle resting at the top of a hill that's 3 meters high, you can use the formula for gravitational potential energy:

[tex]\[ PE = m \times g \times h \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass in kilograms (kg),
- [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is the acceleration due to gravity in meters per second squared (m/s²),
- [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is the height in meters (m).

Let's plug the given values into the formula:

1. Mass ([tex]\( m \)[/tex]): The mass of the bicycle is 25 kg.
2. Acceleration due to gravity ([tex]\( g \)[/tex]): This is usually taken as [tex]\( 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex].
3. Height ([tex]\( h \)[/tex]): The height of the hill is 3 meters.

Now using these values, we calculate:

[tex]\[ PE = 25 \, \text{kg} \times 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \times 3 \, \text{m} \][/tex]

[tex]\[ PE = 735 \, \text{Joules} \][/tex]

So, the potential energy of the bicycle at the top of the hill is 735 Joules. Thus, the correct answer is 735 J.