Work and Energy Treasure Hunt

1. Define the term Work

2. Use words to describe the formula used to calculate work done
3. State the meanings and units for all the terms in the formula W = F d
4. Define the term Potential Energy
5. Use words to describe the formula used to calculate gravitational potential energy
6. State the meanings and units for all the terms in the formula GPE = mgh
7. Define the term Kinetic Energy
8. Use words to describe the formula used to calculate kinetic energy
9. State the meanings and units for all the terms in the formula KE = mv 2 / 2
10. State what happens to the gravitational potential energy of an object if its height is doubled
11. State what happens to the height of an object if its gravitational potential energy is tripled
12. State what happens to the kinetic energy of an object if its speed is doubled
13. State what happens to the speed of an object if its kinetic energy increased 16 times
14. Calculate the work done by a 8N force that moves a box through a distance of 4m
15. Calculate the potential energy gained by a 6kg mass, lifted through a height of 5m
16. Calculate the kinetic energy of a 6kg mass moving with a speed of 20m/s
17. 10J of work were done on an object in moving it through a distance of 4m. How much force was
needed?
18. 100J of potential energy were gained by an object when its height increased by 2.5m. What is the
objects mass?
19. A 4kg object has a kinetic energy of 50J. How fast is it travelling?

KE and GPE Practice Problems

(Show your work)
Kinetic Energy (J) = x mass(kg) x velocity(m/s) 2
Potential Energy (J) = mass (kg) x gravity(10m/s 2) x height (m)
1. A 15kg bicycle is traveling at a speed of 5m/s. What is the bicycles kinetic energy?
2. What is the kinetic energy of the bicycle with a 50kg rider?
3. What is the gravitational potential energy of a 5.7kg cat if it falls from the top of a 3.3m tree?
4. How far must a 0.0086kg feather fall if the feathers GPE is 0.2107J?
5. If a 1420kg giraffe can reach a running speed of 116.64m/s, how much kinetic energy does it create?
6. What is the GPE of a 0.036kg kite if it falls from a height of 754m?
7. What is the GPE of a 0.215kg egg is it falls at a velocity of 0.2m/s from the top of a 5.5m ladder?
8. What is the GPE of a rock climber with a mass of 109.2kg if he falls with a velocity of 0.543m/s from a
height of 125m?
9. Find the kinetic energy of a 0.1-kilogram toy truck moving at a speed of 1.1 meters per second.
10. What is the speed of a 48-kilogram dog running across a lawn with 216 joules of kinetic energy?
11. A book on a shelf 2.0 meters above the floor has a mass of 1.5 kilograms. What is the gravitational
potential energy of the book?
12. Find the mass of a ball on a roof 30 meters high, if the balls gravitational potential energy is 58.8 joules.
13. Which runner has greater kinetic energy: a 46-kilogram runner moving at a speed of 8 meters per second
or a 92-kilogram runner moving at a speed of 4 meters per second?
14. If a 6-kilogram box is moved from the floor to a storage compartment 2 meters above the floor, by how
many joules does its gravitational potential energy change?
15. A 0.1-kilogram ball rolls across the floor at a speed of 2 meters per second. Another 0.1-kilogram ball
rests on a shelf 1 meter above the floor. Which ball has more energy?