Two knowledge seekers decide to ascend a mountain. Sal chooses ashort, steep tra

Question

Two knowledge seekers decide to ascend a mountain. Sal chooses ashort, steep trail, while Joe, who weighs the same as Sal, choosesa long, gently sloped trail. At the top, they get into an argumentabout who gained more potential energy. Which of the following istrue?(a)Sal gains more gravitational potential energy thanJoe.(b)Sal gains less gravitational potential energy thanJoe.(c)Sal gains the same gravitational potential energyas Joe.(d)To compare the gravitational potential energies,we must know the height of the mountain.(e)To compare thegravitational potential energies, we must know the lengths of thetwo trails.

Explanation / Answer

Both work and energy are independent of path for conservativeforces (most forces other than friction). Therefore thelength of the path is irrelevant, all that matters is the startingheight, the ending height, and each person's mass.
As these two have the same mass, and have travelled to thesame height the answer is c, Sal and Joe have the samegravitational potential energy.
Hope this helps.

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