Lecture 16

Y&F, Chapter 6 Work and Kinetic Energy

Practice Problem 1
The mass of a proton is 1836 times the mass of an electron. a. A proton is traveling at speed V. At what speed (in terms of V) would an electron have the same kinetic energy as the proton? b. An electron has kinetic energy K. If a proton has the same speed as the electron, what is its kinetic energy (in terms of K)?

Practice Problem 2
About 50,000 years ago, a meteor crashed into the earth near present-day Flagstaff, Arizona. Recent (2005) measurements estimate that this meteor had a mass of about 1.4x108 kg and hit the ground at 12 km/s. How much kinetic energy did this meteor deliver to the ground?

Practice Problem 3
Use the work--energy theorem to solve each of these problems. Ignore air resistance. a. A branch falls from the top of a 95.0-m-tall redwood tree, starting from rest. How fast is it moving when it reaches the ground? b. A volcano ejects a boulder directly upward 525 m into the air. How fast was the boulder moving just as it left the volcano? c. A skier moving at 5.00 m/s encounters a long, rough horizontal patch of snow having coefficient of kinetic friction 0.220 with her skis. How far does she travel on this patch before stopping?

Quiz
At the base of a frictionless icy hill that rises at 25.0 above the horizontal, a toboggan has a speed of 12.0 m/s toward the hill. How high vertically above the base will it go before stopping?

Answer
7.35 m (g=9.8 m/s2)