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 the 25 kg bicycle resting at the top of the hill, we use the formula for potential energy, which is:

[tex]\[ \text{Potential Energy (PE)} = m \times g \times h \][/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 values given in the problem:

1. The mass [tex]\( m \)[/tex] is 25 kg.
2. The height [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is 3 meters.
3. The acceleration due to gravity [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is [tex]\( 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)[/tex].

Substituting these into the formula:

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

Calculating this gives:

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

Therefore, the potential energy of the bicycle is 735 Joules.

The correct answer is 735 J.