You and Your Friend Want to Go to the Top

question 98

Multiple Choice

You and your friend want to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Your friend takes the elevator straight up. You decide to walk up the spiral stairway, taking longer to do so. Compare the gravitational potential energy (U) of you and your friend, after you both reach the top.

• A) It is impossible to tell, since the times are unknown.
• B) It is impossible to tell, since the distances are unknown.
• C) Your friend's U is greater than your U, because she got to the top faster.
• D) Both of you have the same amount of potential energy.
• E) Your U is greater than your friend's U, because you traveled a greater distance in getting to the top.

---

Definitions:

Operating Expense

An ongoing expense incurred in the operation of a business, such as rent, utilities, and salaries.

Operating Profit

Earnings before interest and taxes, calculated by subtracting operating expenses from gross profit.

Mark-up

The difference between the cost of a good or service and its selling price, expressed as a percentage over the cost.

Unit Cost

The expense associated with creating, storing, or purchasing a single unit of a product or service.