Gravitational Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy Worksheet
W = Fd P = W/t PEG = mgh KE = ½ mv2
1. What is the gravitational potential energy, relative to the ground, of a 1.0-kg box at the top of a 50-m building?
2. Determine the kinetic energy of a 625-kg roller coaster car that is moving with a speed of 18.3 m/s.
3. If the roller coaster car in the above problem were moving with twice the speed, then what would be its new kinetic energy?
4. A 3 kg ball is rolling 2 m/s. How much kinetic energy does it have?
5. The world record for pole vaulting is 6.15 m. If the pole vaulter’s gravitational potential at the top is 4942 J, what is his mass?
6. One of the tallest radio towers is in Fargo, North Dakota. The tower stands 629 m tall. If a bird lands on top of the tower, so that the gravitational potential energy associated with the bird is 2033 J, what is its mass?
7. One of the largest planes ever to fly, and the largest to fly frequently, is the Ukrainianbuilt Antonov An-124 Ruslan. Its wingspan is 73.2 m, and its length is 69.2 m. The gravitational potential energy associated with the plane at an altitude of 1450 m is 3.36x109J. What is the airplane’s mass?
8. How much work is done by a crane lifting a 200.0 kg crate from the ground to a floor 21.0 m above the ground. What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the crate?
9. A 140-N child is in a swing that is attached to ropes 2.00 m long. Find the gravitational potential energy associated with the child relative to her lowest position when the ropes are horizontal.
10. The kinetic energy of a boat is calculated at 52,000 J. If the boat has a mass of 39,000 kg, with what velocity is it moving?
------Beware - Challenge Problems below! 10 extra credit points each!!------
12. A 1000.0 kg truck accelerates from 20.0 m/s to 25.0 m/s over a distance of 300.0 m. What is the average net force on the truck?
13. A 0.6-kg particle has a speed of 2.00 m/s at point A and kinetic energy of 7.50 J at point B. What is
a. its kinetic energy at A?
b. its speed at B?
c. the total work done on the particle as it moves from A to B?
14. A space ship of mass 5.00 ×104 kg is traveling at a speed 1.15 × 104 m/s in outer space. Except for the force generated by its own engine, no other force acts on the ship. As the engine exerts a constant force of 4.00 × 105 N, the ship moves a distance of 2.50 × 106 m in the direction of the force of the engine. Determine the final speed of the ship?