A small tower is built by placing three identical wooden blocks one above the other…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Work Energy and Power · Work Energy and Power
Problem
A small tower is built by placing three identical wooden blocks one above the other on level ground. Each block has mass 2kg and thickness 8cm.
(i) Draw a labelled sketch showing the positions of the centres of mass of the three blocks after the tower is built.
(ii) Taking the ground as the reference level for potential energy and g=10m s−2, calculate the gravitational potential energy possessed by each block in the tower.
(iii) Hence determine the total gravitational potential energy stored in the tower.
(iv) The blocks are now dismantled one by one and each block is placed on a table 1.0m high. Calculate the additional energy required to place all three blocks on the table.