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.<br /><br />* **Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)** is the energy an object possesses due to its position in a gravitational field. It's calculated using the formula:<br /><br /> GPE = mgh<br /><br /> Where:<br /> * GPE is the gravitational potential energy (in Joules)<br /> * m is the mass (in kilograms)<br /> * g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth)<br /> * h is the height above a reference point (in meters)<br /><br />* **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).<br /><br />* **Rearranging the formula:** To isolate m, we divide both sides of the equation by gh:<br /><br /> m = GPE / (gh)<br /><br />* **Plugging in the values:**<br /><br /> m = 275 J / (9.8 m/s² * 4 m)<br /><br />* **Calculating the mass:**<br /><br /> m ≈ 7.0 kg<br /><br />Therefore, the mass of the anvil is approximately 7.0 kg.<br />