Question

calculating height
a 17 kg box sitting on a shelf has a potential energy of 350 j. how high is the shelf? round your answer to the nearest whole number.
the shelf is
m high.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the formula for gravitational potential energy

The formula for gravitational potential energy is \( PE = mgh \), where \( PE \) is potential energy, \( m \) is mass, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (we use \( g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) for this calculation), and \( h \) is height. We need to solve for \( h \), so we rearrange the formula to \( h=\frac{PE}{mg} \).

Step2: Substitute the given values into the formula

We know that \( PE = 350 \, \text{J} \), \( m = 17 \, \text{kg} \), and \( g = 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). Substituting these values into the formula for \( h \), we get:
\( h=\frac{350}{17\times9.8} \)

First, calculate the denominator: \( 17\times9.8 = 166.6 \)

Then, calculate the numerator divided by the denominator: \( h=\frac{350}{166.6}\approx2.101 \)

Step3: Round to the nearest whole number

Rounding \( 2.101 \) to the nearest whole number gives us \( 2 \).

Answer:

2