Westonci.ca is your trusted source for finding answers to all your questions. Ask, explore, and learn with our expert community. Join our platform to connect with experts ready to provide precise answers to your questions in different areas. Join our platform to connect with experts ready to provide precise answers to your questions in different areas.

Which change to an object would double its potential energy?

A. Increasing its height to twice its original value
B. Reducing its mass to one-half of its original value
C. Increasing its mass to four times its original value
D. Reducing its height to one-half of its original value


Sagot :

To determine which change to an object would double its potential energy, we need to understand the formula for gravitational potential energy, which is given by:

[tex]\[ \text{Potential Energy (PE)} = m \times g \times h \][/tex]

where \( m \) is the mass of the object, \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity, and \( h \) is the height above the ground.

Now let's examine each of the given options:

A. Increasing its height to twice its original value
- If we increase the height to twice its original value, the new height is \( 2h \).
- The new potential energy would be: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = m \times g \times (2h) \][/tex]
- Simplifying this, we get: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = 2 \times (m \times g \times h) = 2 \text{PE} \][/tex]
- This means that the potential energy would be doubled.

B. Reducing its mass to one-half of its original value
- If we reduce the mass to one-half its original value, the new mass is \( \frac{m}{2} \).
- The new potential energy would be: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = \left(\frac{m}{2}\right) \times g \times h \][/tex]
- Simplifying this, we get: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = \frac{1}{2} \times (m \times g \times h) = \frac{1}{2} \text{PE} \][/tex]
- This means that the potential energy would be halved, not doubled.

C. Increasing its mass to four times its original value
- If we increase the mass to four times its original value, the new mass is \( 4m \).
- The new potential energy would be: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = (4m) \times g \times h \][/tex]
- Simplifying this, we get: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = 4 \times (m \times g \times h) = 4 \text{PE} \][/tex]
- This means that the potential energy would be quadrupled, not doubled.

D. Reducing its height to one-half of its original value
- If we reduce the height to one-half its original value, the new height is \( \frac{h}{2} \).
- The new potential energy would be: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = m \times g \times \left(\frac{h}{2}\right) \][/tex]
- Simplifying this, we get: [tex]\[ \text{PE}_{\text{new}} = \frac{1}{2} \times (m \times g \times h) = \frac{1}{2} \text{PE} \][/tex]
- This means that the potential energy would be halved, not doubled.

From these calculations, we can see that the correct choice is:

A. Increasing its height to twice its original value

This change will double the potential energy of the object.