Question

* An object of mass m placed at a height h from the ground has a gravitational potential energy PE_1 . If the mass of the object is doubled and the height is unchanged , then the new gravitational potential energy PE_2 is equal ( in terms of PE_1 ) to :

Answer 1

Given:

The mass of the object is m.

The height of the object from the ground is h.

To find the new potential energy when mass is doubled (in terms of old potential energy PE_1)

Explanation:

The potential energy is calculated by the formula

$PE_1=mgh$

Here, g is the acceleration due to gravity.

For doubled mass, m' =2m, the potential energy will be

$\begin{gathered} PE_2=m^{\prime}gh \\ =2mgh \\ =2PE_1 \end{gathered}$

Thus, the new gravitational potential energy is 2PE_1