1401 Energy

A 2 kg glider is released from rest at the top of a

frictionless 30 degree inclined plane. The speed of
the glider has been measured at several locations as
the car moves down the plane. 1. Use GPE = mgh to
calculate heights. 2. Use ½ mv2 to calculate KEs. 3.
Calculate ME = GPE + KE.
Mass m = 2 kg g=
10N/kg
h (m) GPE (J) Speed KE (J) Mech.
(m/s) Energy
(J)
h= mgh measured ½ mv2 GPE + KE
GPE/mg
1.25 25 0 0 25

1.2 24 1 1 25

1.05 21 2 4 25

0.8 16 3 9 25

0.45 9 4 16 25

0 0 5 25 25

As the glider descends, the

_________GPE____________________ decreases

As the glider descends, the ____ speed____ and

______ KE____________ are both increasing.

As the glider descends, the _____Mechanical

Energy_____________ stays the same.

If friction were present on the incline, the measured

speed values would be __less___ than the values in
the table above.

If friction were present on the incline, the mechanical

energy of the system would be ___ less ______ than
the values in the table above.
2. A 100kg object is released from rest at a height of
2.0m on a frictionless ramp and slides downward.
Calculate the KE and speed of the object when it is at
a height of 1.0m. Repeat for when it is at 0.0m. Does
the shape of the ramp matter? Explain. Would the
speeds be the same if the object were dropped?
Does the mass matter? Recalculate the speed at
height 0.0m if 400J are converted to thermal energy
during the slide.

Location1 is height 2.0m. Location 2 is height 1.0m.

Location 3 is height 0m. Conservation of energy
(without elastic and thermal energies):
E1  E2
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy2 12 mv22
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy2 12 mv22
1
2 mv22  (100)(9.8)( 2) 12 (100)012  (100)(9.8)(1)
1
2 mv22  1960  980  980 J
2(980)
v2   4.43m / s
100
E1  E3
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy3 12 mv32
1
2 mv32  mgy1 12 mv12  mgy3
1
2 mv32  (100)(9.8)(2) 12 (100)012  (100)(9.8)(0)
1
2 mv32  1960
2(1960)
v3   6.26m / s
100
The shape of the ramp does not matter since there is
no friction. The speeds are identical for an object
dropped from 2.0m height. The speeds are mass
independent since there is no friction and no elastic
energy.

When friction is present thermal energy is created. If

400J of thermal energy are created, there will be that
much less KE at the end of the slide.
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy3 12 mv32  thermal
(100)(9.8)(2) 12 (100)012  (100)(9.8)(0) 12 (100)v32  400
1960  50v32  400 50v32  1960  400 v3  5.59m / s
The speed is lower due to the friction. The mass does
matter when thermal energy is created.
3. A 55kg child is swinging on a swing with length
3.0m. When the child stops the swing makes an angle
of 80 degrees from vertical. Calculate the speed of
the child at the bottom of the swing. Assume no
thermal energy is created.
First calculate the height at the top of the swing
above the lowest point of the swing.
y1  L  L cos   3  3 cos 80  3  0.52  2.48m
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy2 12 mv22
(55)(9.8)(2.48) 12 (55)012  (55)(9.8)(0) 12 (55)v22
1337  27.5v22 v2  6.97 m / s

4. A 30kg box comes off a ramp with a speed of 6m/s

and slides along a level surface with a coefficient of
kinetic friction of 0.32. How far does the box slide
before stopping?
The box will stop once all the original KE is converted
to thermal.
mgy1 12 mv12  mgy2 12 mv22   k mgd
(30)(9.8)(0) 12 (30)612
 (30)(9.8)(0) 12 (30)0 22  (0.32)(30)(9.8) d
540  94d d  5.74meters
5. A 1kg object is thrown at a speed of 20m/s.
Calculate the work done on the object by the person
who throws it. If the person throwing used 2m
distance to accelerate the object, what average force
was exerted on the object?
Use the Work-Energy Theorem:
Wnet  KE 12 mv 2f 12 mvi2
12 (1)202f 12 ( 20)0i2  200 J
To calculate the average force, use the definition of
work and assume the force is in the direction of
motion and that only the throwing force is doing
work (i.e. a level throw).
WF  Fd cos   F (2) cos 0  200
F  100 N
This would be a hard throw to make.

6. An arrow mass 26grams (400 grains) is shot from a

bow at 76m/s (250fps). Calculate the work done on
the arrow. Calculate the average force exerted on the
arrow if the bow used 80cm to accelerate the arrow.
Repeat the procedure from the previous problem.
Wnet  KE 12 mv 2f 12 mvi2
12 (0.026)762f 12 (0.026)0i2  75 J
WF  Fd cos   F (0.80) cos 0  75
F  94 N
7. A 2kg object is projected horizontally from an ideal
spring with a speed of 15m/s. The spring was
originally compressed a distance of 10cm. Calculate
the spring constant of the spring. Assume no thermal
energy is created.
Use Energy conservation (without thermal).
1 2
mgy 0 0
1
2
mv 2
0 1
2
(2)15 2  225
1
2
kx 2 1
2 k (0.1) 2 0
thermal 0 0
Total 1
2
k (0.1) 2 225
1
2
k (0.1)  2252

2( 225)
k  45,000 N / m
0.12

8. A 100kg person steps on a bathroom scale, causing

it to compress by 3mm. Calculate the spring constant
of the spring assuming it is an ideal spring.
Use Energy conservation (without thermal). GPE is
converted into elastic PE.
1 2
mgy 0 100(9.8)( 0.003)
 2.94 J
1
2
mv 2
0 0
1
2
kx 2 0 1
2 k (0.003) 2
thermal 0 0
Total 0 1
2 k (0.003) 2  2.94
1
2 k (0.003) 2  2.94  0
2( 2.94)
k  653,000 N / m
(0.003) 2