ENERGY QUESTION

Question

 A cargo has a mass of 1.5 tons. The cargo was lifted and placed in the cargo hold. If the cargo gains 1469 J of potential energy, how high is the cargo hold?

Answer 1

So potential energy gain = mgh = 1469 J. Solve for height h = 1469/(9.81 m). If "ton" is metric ton = 1000 kg, then h = 1469/(9.81 * 1500) ≅ 0.10 m to 2 sig figs.

If "ton" is American 2000 pounds, which is a force, then approximately (depending on g) the mass is m ≅ 3000 lb * (1 kg / 2.205 lb) = 1360 kg and h ≅ 0.11 m.