Name: ____________________________ Date: _________ Pd: _____

Physics Honors
Assignment – Conservation of Energy
Problem 1: A 50 kg person is holding onto a pole on a top of a ramp that is 7 m above the ground. Assume that
the system includes the Earth as well as the person.

(a) Would the person have initial mechanical energy? If so, what kind of energy/energies would it be?
Yes this is because, the person would have initial mechanical energy, which would be in the form of potential
energy due to the person's height above the ground.

(b) The person then releases the pole and begins to slide down the ramp.

i. What is causing them to slide down the ramp (force and object)?

The person is sliding down the ramp because of gravity, which is pulling the person downward.

ii. Would this force or object be doing internal or external work on the person?
The force of gravity would be doing external work on the person as it is acting from outside the system.

iii. Would the mechanical energy of the person – Earth system increase, decrease, or remain constant?
Please explain your choice.
The mechanical energy of the person-Earth system would decrease as the person loses potential energy due to
decreasing height and gains kinetic energy due to increasing speed.
(c) Using the energy bar chart, show how the energy transformation would take place.
The energy bar chart would show that the potential energy at the start decreases as the person moves down the ramp
and transforms into kinetic energy.(didn’t know how to edit photo)

(d) Using your answers to part (b) above and the bar chart, fill in the blanks:

At the start of this problem, the mechanical energy of the system is in the form of ___ potential energy _

since the person starts 7 m above the ground but its at rest. Once they let go of the pole, they will slide

down the ramp because of the Earth pulling downward on the them. The work done by the Earth would

be __ negative __ since its causing the height of the person to decrease, but since the Earth is part of the

system, the work external is __ internal ___. As the person travels down the ramp, their height relative

to the ground decreases, so ____ potential energy __ decreases, but at the same time their speed is

increasing so _ kinetic energy __ increases. At the bottom of the ramp, the height is zero and the speed is

a maximum, so now the mechanical energy is in the form of __ kinetic energy_ which came from the

energy stored due to position at the beginning.

(e) Using the equation you get from your energy diagram, calculate how fast the person is moving at the bottom of
the ramp.
The speed at the bottom of the ramp can be calculated using the equation of conservation of energy.
Problem 2: A 75 kg Trevor is placed against a compressed spring. The spring has a spring constant of 1000 N/m
and the spring is compressed 2 m. For this situation, Trevor feels an average force of 500 N pushing him as he’s
being released from the spring. Assume the system to be Trevor, the Earth and the spring.

(a) Would Trevor have initial mechanical energy? If so, what kind of energy/energies would it be?

Yes, Trevor would have initial mechanical energy, which would be in the form of potential energy due to the spring
being compressed.

(b) Trevor is then released and the spring pushes Trevor back toward equilibrium.

i. Would the spring be doing internal or external work on Trevor? Explain why.

The spring would be doing internal work on Trevor as it is acting within the system.

ii. Would the mechanical energy of the Trevor – Earth – Spring system increase, decrease, or remain
constant? Please explain your choice.

The mechanical energy of the Trevor-Earth-Spring system would remain constant as the energy lost by the spring
due to compression transforms into kinetic energy gained by Trevor as he moves away from the spring.

(c) Using the energy bar chart, show how the energy transformation would take place.
the potential energy stored in the spring at the start transforms into kinetic energy as Trevor moves away from the
spring.(didn’t know how to edit the photo)
(d) Using your answers to part (b) above and the bar chart, fill in the blanks:

At the start of this problem, the mechanical energy of the system is in the form of ___ potential energy

___ since Trevor starts off compressed against a spring and is at rest. Once released, Trevor is pushed

toward the left by the spring. This force is causing the energy stored in the spring to be turned into __

kinetic energy ___ as Trevor gains speed. The spring is doing ____ positive ____ work on Trevor

because its causing his speed to increase, but because the spring is part of the system, the work external

would be ____ internal ____. As a result, all of the energy stored in the spring would be turned into ___

kinetic energy ___.

(e) Using the equation you get from your energy diagram, calculate how fast Trevor is moving once he is released
from the spring.
The speed once Trevor is released from the spring can be calculated using the equation of conservation of energy.
(f) If Trevor were to pass between two lines that are 18 m apart moving at the constant speed from (d), how much
time would it take him to travel between the lines? (Click Link to Verify):
24.74s