Suppose a skydiver (mass = 80kg) is falling toward the earth. calculate the skydiver’s gravitational potential energy at a point when the skydiver is 100m above the earth.
(show the equation, show your work and answer with units.)

The gravitational potential energy of the skydiver=

Given:

Mass of the skydiver=80kg

Distance of the skydiver from the earth=100m

To find:

Gravitational potential energy of the skydiver

Step by Step Explanation:

Solution:

According to the formula, Gravitational Potential Energy (GHE) is calculated as

Where m= Mass of the skydiver

g=Acceleration due to gravity

h=Distance of the skydiver from the earth

Substitute the known values in the above equation we get

Result:

Thus the gravitational potential energy of the skydiver is =

80,000 Joules or 80KJ

Explanation:

Gravitational potential energy is defined as the energy possessed by a body under the influence of gravitational force. The body will therefore possess acceleration due to gravity (g).

Mathematically,

Gravitational potential energy = mass (m) × acceleration due to gravity (g) × height (h)

Given mass of skydiver = 80kg

Height = 100m

taking g = 10m/s²

Substituting the values given in the formula to get the gravitational potential energy, we will have;

GPE = 80×100×10

GPE = 80,000Joules

GPE = 80KJ