MEI FM Mechanics Work, energy and power

Topic assessment
1. A car of mass 800 kg is travelling at a steady speed of 25 ms-1 along a straight,
level road. The car engine is working at the rate of 40 kW.
(i) Calculate the resistance to motion. [3]

The car reaches a slope with an angle of arcsin 101 which it climbs at the same
speed against the same resistance.
(ii) What extra power must the engine produce? [5]
Whilst the car is climbing the slope at a speed of 25 ms-1, the power is suddenly
removed and the car slows down and comes to rest. Whilst the car is slowing
down the resistance to motion may be taken to have a constant value of 900 N.
(iii) How far along the slope does the car travel whilst slowing down to come to
rest? [7]

C
2.

5 kg
 = 0.4

B 40°

15 kg D
A 4 kg
groove 1.5 m

A block of mass 5 kg is on a plane which is at an angle of 40° to the horizontal.

The block is connected by light, inextensible strings to objects A and D which
hang vertically and have masses of 4 kg and 15 kg respectively, as shown in the
diagram. Between B and C, the strings are parallel to the line of greatest slope of
the inclined plane and pass over smooth pegs B and C. The object D, which slides
in a groove, is initially 1.5 m above a floor. You may assume that A never reaches
the peg B and that the block never reaches the peg C.
(i) Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the whole system
when D moves from its initial position to the floor. Your answer should
specify whether this is a loss or a gain. [4]
The coefficient of friction between the block and the plane is 0.4. The object at A
hangs freely but the object at D slides in the groove against a constant frictional
force of 15 N. You may assume that air resistance is negligible.
The system is released from rest from its initial position.

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(ii) Show that D hits the floor with a speed of about 2.77 ms-1. [6]
(iii) After the impact of D with the floor, how much further does the block move
up the plane? You may assume that the string connecting the block to object
A remains taut. [5]

3. A roofer is replacing the slates on a roof inclined at 40° to the horizontal. An old
broken slate of mass 0.4 kg, which may be treated as a particle, is placed on the
roof and slides from rest. It slides 5 m down the roof and then falls a further
vertical distance of 6 m to the ground, as shown in the diagram. While the slate is
sliding down the roof the resistance to its motion is a constant 2 N; when the slate
reached the edge of the roof it falls freely and air resistance may be neglected.

5m

40°

6m

(i) Calculate the gravitational potential energy lost by the slate in moving from
the point of release to the ground. Calculate also the speed with which the
slate hits the ground. [5]
A crate of new slates of total mass 12 kg is pulled up from the ground by the
roofer using a light rope. This crate is lifted 6 m vertically from the ground and
then slides 5 m up the sloping roof before coming to rest. When the crate is being
raised vertically there is negligible resistance to motion. When the crate is sliding
up the roof the coefficient of friction between the crate and the roof is 0.6 and the
rope is parallel to the roof.
(ii) It takes the roofer 25 seconds to pull up the crate of slates. Calculate the
average power he must develop to achieve this. [5]
(iii) Show that, if the crate is not secured when the rope is removed, it will slide
back down the roof. What would be the least value of the coefficient of
friction between the crate and the roof for this not to happen? [5]

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4. A roller-coaster car at a fairground has a mass of 380 kg.

At the start of a ride, the car is pulled up a slope at a steady speed of v ms-1 by a
force of 2160 N. The power of the force is 3780 W.
(i) Calculate the value of v. [2]
The pulling force is removed. The car now moves under gravity and against
resistances to its motion.
At a point P, the car is 20 m above horizontal ground and is travelling at 2 ms-1. It
then travels 100 m along the track in 20 seconds to a point Q that is 5 m above the
ground, as shown in the diagram. At Q it is travelling at 10 ms-1.

P Not to
scale

20 m
R
Q
5m

(ii) For the motion from P to Q, calculate

(A) the change in kinetic energy of the car,
(B) the change in the gravitational potential energy of the car,
in each case stating whether the change is a gain or a loss. [5]
During the motion from P to Q, the average braking force over the distance is
150 N.
(iii) Show that the total work done against the resistances to motion other than
braking is 22620 J. [3]
At the point Q, the car goes up a uniform slope at 20° to the horizontal and comes
instantaneously to rest at the point R. The average resistances to motion and the
average braking force from Q to R are the same as in the motion from P to Q.
(iv) Calculate the vertical distance of R above Q. [5]

Total: 60 marks

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Solutions to topic assessment

1. (i) Let X be the driving force of the engine.

Power  Xv
40000  25 X
X  1600
Since the car is travelling at a steady speed, driving force = resistance.
Resistance = 1600 N.
[3]
(ii)
D
1600 sin   1
10


800g
The extra power required is to counteract the component of the weight which
acts down the slope.
Extra driving force required  800g sin 
 800  9.8  101  784
Extra power required  784  25
 19600
The extra power required is 19.6 kW.
[5]
(iii)
d
900 sin   1
10
h

800g

Work done against resistance force  900d

Potential energy gained  mgh
 800  9.8  d sin 
 784d
K.E. lost  mv
1
2
2

 21  800  25 2
 250000
Work done against resistance = loss in energy
900d  250000  784d
1684d  250000
d  148 m (3 s.f.)
[7]

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2. (i) D loses height of 1.5 m

Potential energy lost by D  mgh  15  9.8  1.5  220.5 J

A gains height of 1.5 m

Potential energy gained by A  mgh  4  9.8  1.5  58.8 J

Block gains height of 1.5 sin 40

Potential energy gained by block  mgh  5  9.8  1.5 sin 40 
 73.5 sin 40  J

Total loss of potential energy  220.5  58.8  73.5 sin 40

 114 J (3 s.f.)
[4]
(ii) For block:
R T

F
40° 5g

Resolving perpendicular to plane: R  5 g cos 40  0

R  49cos 40
F  R  0.4  49cos 40  19.6cos 40
Work done against frictional force for block  19.6 cos 40   1.5
 29.4cos 40 
Work done against resistance force for D  15  1.5  22.5
Work done = total loss in energy
= P.E. lost – K.E. gained
29.4cos 40  22.5  161.7  73.5 sin 40   21 mv 2
1
2 (4  5  15 )v 2  161.7  73.5 sin 40   29.4cos 40   22.5
v  2.77 (3 s.f.)
[6]
(iii) After impact:
work done against friction for block  19.6cos 40 d
P.E. gained by block  5 g  d sin 40
P.E. gained by A  4gd
K.E. lost by A and block  21 (4  5 )v 2 (where v is speed from (ii))
Work done = total loss in energy
= K.E. lost – P.E. gained
19.6d cos 40   2 v 2  5 gd sin 40   4gd
9

(19.6 cos 40   49 sin 40   39.2)d  2 v 2

9

d  0.402 (3 s.f.)
[5]

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3. (i) Height lost  6  5 sin 40

Gravitational potential energy lost  mgh
 0.4  9.8(6  5 sin 40)
 36.1 J (3 s.f.)

Work done against friction  2  5  10 J

Work done = P.E. lost – K.E. gained
10  0.4  9.8(6  5 sin 40 )  21  0.4v 2
0.2v 2  0.4  9.8(6  5 sin 40 )  10
v  11.4
The slate hits the ground with speed 11.4 ms-1 (3 s.f.).
[5]
(ii)
R T

F
40° 12g

Resolving perpendicular to plane: R  12 g cos 40   0

R  12 g cos 40 
Friction is limiting, so F  R  0.6  12 g cos 40  7.2 g cos 40
Work done against friction  5 F  5  7.2 g cos 40  36g cos 40

Work done against gravity  mgh

 12  9.8(6  5 sin 40 )

work done
Power 
time
36g cos 40  12  9.8(6  5 sin 40 )

25
 54.2 W (3 s.f.)
[5]
(iii)
R F

40° 12g

From (ii), maximum frictional force  7.2 g cos 40  54.1

Component of weight down the slope  12 g sin 40  75.6
The component of the weight acting down the slope is greater than the
maximum possible frictional force, so it will slide.

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Maximum frictional force F  R    12g cos 40

For the crate not to slide, 12  g cos 40  12 g sin 40 
  tan 40
  0.839 (3 s.f.)
[5]

4. (i) Power  Fv
3780  2160v
v  1.75
[2]
(ii) (A) Increase in K.E.  m(v  u )
1
2
2 2

 21  380(10 2  2 2 )
 18240 J

(B) Loss in P.E.  mgh

 380  9.8  15
 55860 J
[5]
(iii) Work done against resistances = total loss in energy
= loss in P.E. – gain in K.E.
 55860  18240
 37620 J
Work done against braking force  150  100  15000
Work done against other resistance forces  37620  15000
 22620 J
[3]
(iv) Total work done against resistances from P to Q  37620 J

37620
Total resistance forces   376.2 N
100

d
h
20°

Work done against resistances  376.2d

376.2h

sin 20
K.E. lost  21  380  102  19000
P.E. gained  380  9.8h  3724h
Work done against resistances = total loss in energy
= K.E. lost – P.E. gained

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376.2h
 19000  3724h
sin 20
376.2
h   3724   19000
 sin 20 
h  3.94
Vertical distance of R above Q = 3.94 m (3 s.f.)
[5]

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