True or false? The gravitational potential energy of an object 5m above the ground in Ontario is the same as an indentical object 5m above the ground on the Moon.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle this true/false statement, consider what gravitational potential energy depends on. GPE relative to a reference level is given by mgh, where m is mass, g is the local acceleration due to gravity, and h is height above the reference level.
Option: True. This would claim that the GPE is the same for an object 5 m above ground on Earth (Ontario) and the Moon. However, the key factor that would differ between these two scenarios is g. The Moon’s surface gravity is about 1.6 m/s^2, while Earth’s (Ontario) gravity is about 9.8 m/s^2. Since g appears multiplicatively in mgh, differing g values mean the GPEs will differ even if the height and mass are identical.
Option: False. This aligns with the understanding that GPE depends on the local gravitational field. Although the height above the ground is the same (5 m) and the mass is the same, the Moon’s weaker gravity reduces GPE compared to Earth. Therefore, the gravitational potential energy is not the same in the two locations.
Additional nuance: If you kept height and mass fixed but compared GPE at the same altitude on bodies with different gravities, you must adjust g accordingly. The only way for GPE to be identical across locations would be to have the same g, which is not the case here, since Earth and Moon have different gravitational accelerations.
In summary, the statement claiming equality would be incorrect because the local g differs between Ontario (Earth) and the Moon, causing different mgh values for the same mass and height.

SPH4U - Physics 12 (2025-26) - A

True or false? The gravitational potential energy of an object 5m above the ground in Ontario is the same as an indentical object 5m above the ground on the Moon.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Where is the potential energy the greatest?

What is gravitational potential energy?

What is the potential energy of a soccer ball given it's mass and height from the Earth's surface as depicted on the figure below? Provide your answer to three (3) significant figures and correct SI unit symbol must be provided.

Two identical marbles are dropped in a classroom. Marble A is dropped from 1.00m, and marble B is dropped from 0.50m. Compare the kinetic energies of the two marbles just before they strike the ground.

True or false? The amount of gravitational potential energy depends on where the reference height y = 0 is set.

Which of the following statements correctly describes the relationship between an object's gravitational potential energy and its height above the ground?

Consider Sun’s total gravitational potential energy as its power source to maintain its current luminosity. How long would it take to radiate all of it away? (Hint: t = Energy/Luminosity; 1 W = 1 J/s, 1 J = 1 kg 1 m2 s-2)

A 444 g soccer ball is 5.1 m above the ground. How much gravitational energy does it have? Give your answer to the nearest whole number.

More Practical Tools for International Students

Exam Browser Assistant

Stylized Writing Assistant

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation Assistant

In-Class Translation Assistant

Class Notes Assistant

Quiz Search Assistant

Past Exam Questions by School

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler