Question 6 of 10 A 2 kg vase is sitting on a 1 m high table. What is the vase's potential energy?
A. 196 J
B. 2J
C. 0.5 J
D. 19.6 J
SUBMIT

Choice D) 19.6 J

Work Shown:

m = 2 kg = mass

g = 9.8 m/s^2 = acceleration of gravity (approximate)

h = 1 m = height

PE = potential energy

PE = m*g*h

PE = 2*9.8*1

PE = 19.6 J

The vase has approximately 19.6 Joules of potential energy.

We didn't have to make any conversions because the unit Joule is equivalent to the more complicated unit of kg*m^2/s^2 so it only involves kilograms, meters and seconds. If however the mass was given in say grams (instead of kg), then you'd need to convert to kg.