At NASA's Zero Gravity Research Facility in Cleveland, Ohio, experimental payloads fall freely from rest in an evacuated vertical shaft through a distance of 132 m. (a) If a particular payload has a mass of 36 kg, what is its potential energy relative to the bottom of the shaft?  J (b) How fast will the payload be traveling when it reaches the bottom of the shaft?  m/s Convert your answer to mph for a comparison to highway speeds.

Inquiry into Physics
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Author:Ostdiek
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Chapter3: Energy And Conservation Laws
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Problem 27P: . At NASA's Zero Gravity Research Facility in Cleveland, Ohio, experimental payloads fall freely...
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At NASA's Zero Gravity Research Facility in Cleveland, Ohio, experimental payloads fall freely from rest in an evacuated vertical shaft through a distance of 132 m.

(a) If a particular payload has a mass of 36 kg, what is its potential energy relative to the bottom of the shaft?
 J

(b) How fast will the payload be traveling when it reaches the bottom of the shaft?
 m/s

Convert your answer to mph for a comparison to highway speeds.
Expert Solution
Step 1

Given that,

Payloads fall freely from rest in an evacuated vertical shaft through a distance of 132 m.

 

The potential energy of an object is possessed due to its position with respect to the ground. Its mathematical form is given by the relation as follows :

P = mgh

m is the mass of the object

g is the acceleration due to gravity

h is height

 

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