The Gravitational Potential Energy of a Cheetah Cub

Question:

A cheetah cub is resting on a tree branch 20.0 m above the ground. The cub has a mass of 6.0 kg. How much gravitational potential energy does the cheetah cub have? (a) 12 J (b) 120 J (c) 1200 J (d) 12000 J

Answer:

The gravitational potential energy of the cheetah cub is approximately 1200 J.

The question is asking for the gravitational potential energy of a cheetah cub that is at a height of 20.0 m from the ground and has a mass of 6.0 kg. Gravitational potential energy is calculated using the formula:

PE = m*g*h

where, m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity (on Earth approximately 9.8 m/s2), and h is the height above the ground. Substituting the given values into the formula:

PE = 6.0 kg * 9.8 m/s2 * 20.0 m = 1176 J

The closest answer to this is (c) 1200 J, so that is the best choice from the given options.