40. A large bear skids to a stop at the top of a cliff with a 90 meter drop. If he has a gravitational potential energy of 55000 Joules at the top of the cliff, what is his mass?
Upstudy AI Solution
Answer
Solution

Sign in to Unlock Answers for Free!
A Learning Platform Trusted by Millions of Real Students and Teachers.

Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor
The Deep Dive
To find the mass of the bear, we can use the formula for gravitational potential energy, which is given by: \[ PE = mgh \] Where: - \( PE \) is the potential energy (55000 Joules) - \( m \) is the mass (what we want to find) - \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately \( 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \)) - \( h \) is the height (90 meters) Rearranging the formula to solve for mass (\( m \)) gives us: \[ m = \frac{PE}{gh} \] Substituting in the values: \[ m = \frac{55000}{9.81 \times 90} \] Calculating this gives: \[ m = \frac{55000}{882.9} \approx 62.2 \, \text{kg} \] So, the mass of the bear is approximately **62.2 kilograms**.