In the action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark , Ind

Question

In the action adventure film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones searches for the Ark of the Covenant. In one well-known nail biting scene Indiana tries to escape being crushed by a huge boulder rolling down a sloping terrain inside a tunnel. The rolling boulder of mass m rolls down the only path that Indiana Jones can take. Assume that the friction force between the sphere and the surface of the hill is negligible.

At a particular time t1 the spherical boulder is at location 1 and moving with velocity v1. At a later time t2the sphere is at location 2 and moving with velocity v2. Locations 1 and 2 are at vertical heights h1 and h2respectively, from the bottom of the tunnel.

When answering the following questions use 1 and 2 for subscripts to identify the different variables at the two different locations.

What is the equation for the potential energy U1 of the spherical boulder? (Use any variable or symbol stated above along with the following as necessary: g.)

Explanation / Answer

It's as simple as the below mentioned equation since we have been asked to make an assumption that the friction force between sphere and the surface of the hill is negligible.

Potential energy = Mass x Gravity x Height
Therefore, potential energy at a certain height h is
U = mgh

And preferrably location1 needs to be taken into account.

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