Answer
A. The climber gained 661,500 J of potential energy.
B. The climber lost 771,750 J (-771,750) of potential energy.
Work Step by Step
A.) We know that on day 1 the climbers starting point is 1500m of the ground, and she is climbing to 2400m. We also know she is 75kg. We need subtract her final potential energy from her initial potential energy.
1. U=mgh
2. Ui = (75)(9.8)(1500) = 1,102,500 & Uf = (75)(9.8)(2400) = 1,764,000J
3. Uf - Ui = 1,764,000 - 1,102,500 = 661,500 J
We are going to use the same process as above but our initial height is 2400m and our final height is 1350m.
1. U=mgh
2. Ui = (75)(9.8)(2400) = 1,764,000 & Uf = (75)(9.8)(1350) = 992,250
3. Uf - Ui = 992,250 - 1,764,000 = -771,750
