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A child on a sled has a combined mass of 97 kg. At the top of a 3.1 meter hill, the sled has a velocity of 8 m/s. Assuming there is no frict
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A child on a sled has a combined mass of 97 kg. At the top of a 3.1 meter hill, the sled has a velocity of 8 m/s. Assuming there is no friction, what would the velocity of the child and sled be when they reach the top of a different 1.2 meter hill?
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Physics
4 years
2021-08-01T16:16:32+00:00
2021-08-01T16:16:32+00:00 1 Answers
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Answer:
Explanation:
This is an energy conservation problem in that the total energy available to a system s constant trhoughout the whole problem. That is, in equation form:
TE = PE + KE. This is a bit of a problem due to sig figs here, but I will keep with the rules for them all the way up til the end of the problem (I’ll tell you when I veer away from the rule and why I did when I get there).
We first need to find the total energy available to the system and then use that value throughout the rest of the problem.
TE = PE + KE where
PE = mgh (mass times gravity times height of the object) and
KE =
(one-half times the mass of the object times the square of the velocity of the object). We solve for PE first, rounding to the correct number of sig figs:
PE = 97(9.8)(3.1) and
PE = 2900 J (2 sig figs here since all the numbers given have 2 sig figs in them). Now for KE
KE = 2200. This means that the total energy available to the sled throughout the whole trip is
TE = 2900 + 2200 so
TE = 5100 J
Now for the second part of the problem, the sled is at a different height so the PE is different, and we are asked to find the velocity at the top of this second hill. The total energy equation then is
5100 = PE + KE. Solving for PE first:
PE = (97)(9.8)(1.2) and, to 2 sig figs:
PE = 82. Now for the KE:
10.2 m/s.
Doing this the right way, using the rules for sig figs properly:
v = 1.0 × 10¹ m/s