The figure below shows an object with a mass of 6.50 kg that starts from rest at point A and slides on a track with negligible friction. Point A is at a height of 5.50 m.
(a) What is the object's speed at point B (in m/s)?
6.78 m/s
What is the object's speed at point C (in m/s)?
Use conservation of mechanical energy for the system of the object and Earth. How is potential energy related to height? How is kinetic energy related to speed? Note: You can choose either point A or point B as the initial point, but be careful to use the appropriate initial heights and speeds (m/s).
(b) What is the net work (in J) done by the gravitational force on the object as it moves from point A to point C?
How is gravitational work related to the change in gravitational potential energy? What is the initial height, and what is the final height? Be careful of signs.