Potential Energy

Open Ended

Why is potential energy important in our daily lives?

Multiple Choice

Which of the following factors does NOT affect the gravitational potential energy of an object?

• The color of the object

• The mass of the object

• The height of the object

• The acceleration due to gravity

Multiple Choice

What is the formula for calculating the potential energy of an object, and which variables do you need to know to use it?

• Ep = mgh; mass, gravity, height

• Ep = 1/2mv^2; mass, velocity

• Ep = mgv; mass, gravity, velocity

• Ep = mh; mass, height

Open Ended

Explain how increasing either the mass or the height of an object affects its potential energy. Use examples from the slide to support your answer.

Multiple Choice

As a ball rolls down a hill, what happens to its potential energy and kinetic energy?

• Potential energy increases, kinetic energy decreases

• Potential energy decreases, kinetic energy increases

• Both potential and kinetic energy increase

• Both potential and kinetic energy decrease

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank: In a hydroelectric dam, the potential energy of water is converted into

energy as it flows through the turbine.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements correctly compares potential energy and kinetic energy?

• Potential energy is due to an object's motion, while kinetic energy is due to its position.

• Potential energy depends on mass and speed, while kinetic energy depends on mass, height, and gravity.

• Potential energy is stored energy due to position, while kinetic energy is energy of motion.

• Potential energy and kinetic energy are always equal for any object.

Multiple Choice

Which object has the most potential energy?

• A) A 5 kg cat sleeping on the floor.

• B) A 2 kg ball on a 10-meter-high cliff.

• C) A 10 kg bowling ball on a 1-meter-high table.

Multiple Choice

How does changing the height of an object affect its gravitational potential energy?

• It decreases the potential energy.

• It does not affect the potential energy.

• It increases the potential energy.

• It only affects the mass.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following objects has the greatest potential energy, given their respective masses and heights?

• A) The cat on the floor (h=0)

• B) The ball at 10 m height (2 kg)

• C) The bowling ball at 1 m height (10 kg)

• D) The apple at 4 m height (0.2 kg)

Fill in the Blanks

Using the formula Ep=mgh, what is the potential energy of a roller coaster car with a mass of 500 kg at the top of a 25 meter hill? (g=9.8 m/s²)

Fill in the Blanks

Calculate the potential energy of a box with a mass of 15 kg placed on a shelf 2 meters above the ground. Use g=9.8 m/s².

Multiple Select

Which of the following are needed to calculate gravitational potential energy?

• Mass of the object

• Height above the ground

• Speed of the object

• Acceleration due to gravity

Open Ended

Compare the potential energy of the roller coaster car (slide 2) and the apple (slide 4). What factors account for the difference in their potential energies?

Fill in the Blanks

The formula for potential energy is Ep =

.

Open Ended

Summarize what you have learned about potential energy and its formula. Why do you think understanding potential energy is important in real life?