Complete the statement. Assume that the motorcycle's mass did not change.
The gravitational potential energy stored between the motorcycle and Earth () as Josiah rode up the hill.
increased stayed the same decreased
Read the text about an object in motion.
Josiah rode his motorcycle from the bottom of a hill to the top of the hill.
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 the motorcycle and the center of Earth changed.
The top of the hill is higher than the bottom of the hill. As Josiah rode toward the top of the hill, the distance between the motorcycle and the center of Earth increased. So, the gravitational potential energy stored between the motorcycle and Earth increased as Josiah rode up the hill.