A diver with a weight of 200N is standing on a platform that is 5m off the ground. What is the diver's gravitational potential energy?

Question

pls help me solve this

Answer 1

Hi,

If we are sufficiently close to the Earth's surface, then gravitational potential energy is described as

PE_g = mgh

where m is the mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height above a zero-point (most often the ground).

In your question, this is

PE_g = mgh = (200N)* 5 m = 1000 N*m = 1000 J

We didn't have to plug in mass or g because they gave us the weight, which is itself equal to mg on this planet.