Question

When the mass of the cylinder increased by a factor of 3, from 1.0 kg to 3.0 kg, what happened to the cylinder’s gravitational potential energy? It decreased by a factor of 3. It decreased by a factor of 2. It increased by a factor of 2. It increased by a factor of 3.

Answer 1

Answer:

It increased by a factor of 3.

Explanation:

The gravitational potential energy of an object is given by

$U=mgh$

where

m is the mass

g is the gravitational acceleration

h is the heigth of the object relative to some reference point (for instance, the ground)

As we see from the formula, the gravitational potential energy is directly proportional to the mass, m: therefore, if the mass of the cylinder is increased by a factor 3, then the gravitational potential energy will also increase by a factor 3.