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 at the top of a 3 m high hill, we can use the formula for potential energy, which is:

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

where:
- [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is the mass of the object (in kilograms),
- [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately [tex]\( 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex] on Earth),
- [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is the height above the ground (in meters).

Let's plug in the given values:
- The mass [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is 25 kg,
- The height [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is 3 m,
- The gravitational acceleration [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is 9.8 m/s².

Now, perform the multiplication:

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

It's simply a matter of multiplying these numbers together:
[tex]\[ \text{PE} = 25 \times 9.8 \times 3 = 735 \][/tex]

So, the potential energy of the bicycle at the top of the hill is 735 Joules.

Therefore, the correct answer is 735 J.