Gravitational potential energy is calculated through the product of the mass of the object, gravity, and the height of the object from the ground.

1.Allyson is standing on the top of her dining table holding a lightbulb. The lightbulb weighs 53.38 grams and she was standing over the ground 2m. What is the potential energy of her position?

2. The GPE of Ashley holding a ping pong ball over a 7m cliff is 250 joules. What is the mass of the ping pong ball?

3. Marcos is swinging on the monkey bars with him weighing 95 lbs and having a GPE of 545 joules. What is the height from the ground was he swinging?

4. Julie is holding a dodgeball, aiming for her next victim, in gym class. The dodgeball weighs 2.26kg and is standing over a bleacher of 2.5m. What is her potential energy?

5. Andrea is on top of the slide on a playground, waiting to be pushed by Ashley. She weighs about 43kg and the slide is over the ground 3m. What is her potential energy before getting pushed down?

Gravitational Potential Energy: Math Problems

OR

Remember: Mass has to be measured in kilograms (kg)!!!

In the formula:

Mass= # kg

Gravity= 9.8 (automatically)

Height= # m, inch, cm