Base on the scenario below think about different changes in energy. Do the estimates posted seem reasonable? Are there other ways you might estimate the energy introduced into the system?

My coffee cup weighs around .2kg when full and sits on a table about 1m tall. When I'm at the desk and I lift the cup to my lips it is at 1.3m.

Calculation for the PE would be stated as so....

PE=mgh

PE=(.2)(9.8)(1.3)

PE= 2.548 J

I am studying environmental science so the example I will us is a avalanche. A 1 million ton avalanche is sitting on a mountain 250 meters high.

1 million tons = 1 billion kg

PE= (1,000,000,000)(9.8)(250)

PE= 2.45e+12 J

There is a potiential energy of 2.45e+12 Joules