Complete the statement. Assume that Zach's mass did not change.
The gravitational potential energy stored between Zach and Earth () as he rode the escalator.
decreased increased stayed the same
Read the text about a person in motion.
Zach rode an escalator from the first floor to the second floor of a shopping mall.
Gravitational potential energy is stored between any two objects. So, for every object on or near Earth, there is gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth.
The amount of gravitational potential energy stored between an object and Earth depends on the mass of the object. The amount of gravitational potential energy also depends on the distance between the object and the center of Earth. This distance increases when the object moves higher and decreases when the object moves lower.
If the distance between an object and the center of Earth changes, the gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth will change. The table below shows how this change can happen.
When an object's mass stays the same and its distance from the center of Earth... | Gravitational potential energy stored between the object and Earth...
increases | increases
decreases | decreases
stays the same | stays the same
Think about how the distance between Zach and the center of Earth changed.
The second floor is higher than the first floor. As he rode the escalator toward the second floor, the distance between Zach and the center of Earth increased. So, the gravitational potential energy stored between Zach and Earth increased as he rode the escalator.