Question

Complete the following sentence:
The potential energy of a body is the energy by virtue of its _______.
A) Motion
B) Position
C) Both A and B
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: - The energy of a body can be described according to the motion of a body or the position of the body. The potential energy is usually described in bodies, in electric charge or when the stress is generated inside.

Complete Step by step solution:
The potential energy can be determined by analyzing the initial and final position of the body and the force that brings the body into its final position. The forces are conservative in the case of potential energy. The factor that depends on the potential energy is only the position and not the trajectory of the body. And the work is determined by using the potential of the body. The work did not depend on the path the body moved from initial to the final position.
The equation for the potential energy can be expressed as,
$U = mgh$
Where, $m$ is the mass of the body, $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity and $h$ is the height of the body.
It is clear from the equation that the potential energy is proportional to the varying height. This equation can be used for the gravitational potential energy where gravity of the earth influences.
The potential energy of a body is the energy by virtue of its position.

The answer is option B.

Note: The gravitational potential energy will be more for the body which is placed far away from the earth surface. Potential energies such as Gravitational, chemical, electric, nuclear potential energies are present.