Calculating Potential Energy

You learned in section three, that gravitational potential energy depends on two variables:

  1. The mass of an object and
  2. The height or position of the object.

The following equation is used to calculate the potential energy (PE) of an object

Potential Energy = mass × acceleration of gravity × height

The acceleration of gravity is a constant measurement of 9.8 m/s2

Let’s look back at the data you collected from the labs in part 2 of this lesson. Calculate the potential energy from the lab. Energy and is measured in a unit called joules (J).
Height (cm)
mass of ball (g)
Potential Energy (J)
PE = m × 9.8 × h
1 block
2
51
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

999.6
2 blocks
4
51
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

1,999.2
3 blocks
6
51
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

2998.8

Calculating Kinetic Energy

You learned in the last section that kinetic energy of an object depends on two variables:

You learned in section three, that gravitational potential energy depends on two variables:

  1. The mass (m) of the object and
  2. The velocity (v) of the object.

The following equation is used to calculate the kinetic energy (KE) of an object

Kinetic Energy = 1 over 2 1 2 × mass × velocity2

Let’s look back at the data you collected from the labs in part 2 of this lesson. Calculate the kinetic energy of the ball in the lab. Energy and is measured in a unit called joules (J).

 
Mass (g)
velocity (m/s)
Kinetic Energy (J)
KE = 1 over 2 1 2 × m × v2
1 block
51
16.96
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

7,334
2 blocks
51
20.70
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

10,926
3 blocks
51
23.02
Interactive button. Assistance may be required.

__________

13,512