State whether the potential energy of the underlined object increases or decreases as a result of the change described.
(1) a person climbs a flight of stairs
(2) a skier skis from the top to the bottom of a hill
(3) a magnet is pulled off of a refrigerator
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(1) The potential energy of the person increases as they climb a flight of stairs. This is because the person is moving higher in the gravitational field and therefore has a greater potential for falling.
(2) The potential energy of the skier decreases as they ski from the top to the bottom of a hill. This is because the skier is moving lower in the gravitational field and therefore has less potential for falling.
(3) The potential energy of the magnet increases as it is pulled off of a refrigerator. This is because the magnet is moving away from the source of the magnetic field, which requires work to be done against the magnetic force.
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