Motion Notes iii. An anvil sits atop a 4 m ledge with 275 joules of energy. How do we calculate it's mass?

We can calculate the anvil's mass using the concept of gravitational potential energy.* **Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)** is the energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. It's calculated using the formula: GPE = mgh Where: * GPE is the gravitational potential energy (in Joules) * m is the mass (in kilograms) * g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth) * h is the height above a reference point (in meters)* **In this problem:** We know the GPE (275 J) and the height (h = 4 m). We also know the value of g. We need to solve for the mass (m).* **Rearranging the formula:** To isolate m, we divide both sides of the equation by gh: m = GPE / (gh)* **Plugging in the values:** m = 275 J / (9.8 m/s² * 4 m)* **Calculating the mass:** m ≈ 7.0 kgTherefore, the mass of the anvil is approximately 7.0 kg.