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Answers:

1. Assuming that the dart was not deformed as it was forced out of the barrel of the gun, the potential energy of the dart is given by

mass*gravity*height

Enter the following into the Google search box:

(0.1 kg) * (9.8 (m / (s^2))) * (1 m)

The result should be:

Potential energy = 0.98 joules

2. The kinetic energy of the dart is given by

0.5*m*v^2

Enter the following into the Google search box:

0.5*0.1kg*(10m/s)^2

The result should be:

kinetic energy = 5 joules

3. The total mechanical energy of the dart is the simple sum of the potential energy and the kinetic energy, which is:

Total mechanical energy = 5.98 joules

4. When the dart exits the gun, the gravitational potential energy of the gun is reduced because the total mass of the gun and the dart is reduced by the massof the dart.

In addition, the elastic potential energy stored in the spring is imparted into the dart in the form of kinetic energy.

Therefore, the loss in mechanical energy of the gun is equal to the total mechanical energy of the dart immediately upon exit from the gun barrel.Therefore, the total mechanical energy of the gun is reduced by 5.98 joules when the dart exits the gun.

A crate on a ski run

A crate containing soft drinks with a mass of 5 kg is accidentally released at the top of a ski run and slides down the ski run to the valley below. Theheight of the point where the crate is released is 100 m above the valley floor. The crate goes through numerous dips and over many small hills on the way down but never stops.

Assuming there is no friction, no air resistance, no deformation, and no loss of energy in any form during the trip, what is the magnitude of the crate's velocitywhen it reaches the valley floor?

Answer:

As presented, this is a simple case of the conversion of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy. The fact that the crate slowed down andsped up several times during the trip while negotiating little dips and hills doesn't matter. All that really matters is the balance of energy between the starting point and point where the cratereached the valley floor. With no energy loss during the trip, the total mechanical energy at the end of the trip must equal the total mechanical energy at thebeginning of the trip.

At the top of the hill, the crate's gravitational potential energy was equal to

m*g*h = 5kg*(9.8m/s^2)*100m = 4900 joules

Therefore, at the bottom of the hill, with no remaining potential energy, the crate's kinetic energy must be equal to

0.5*m*v^2 = 4900 joules

Rearranging terms gives us

v^2 = (4900 joules)/(0.5*m), or

v = sqrt((4900 joules)/(0.5*m)), or

v = sqrt((4900 joules)/(0.5*5kg))

Entering this expression into the Google calculator gives us the crate's velocity when it reached the valley floor as

v = 44.3 m/s

Do the calculations

I encourage you to repeat the calculations that I have presented in this lesson to confirm that you get the same results. Experiment with the scenarios, making changes, and observing the results of your changes. Make certain that you can explain why your changes behave as they do.

Resources

I will publish a module containing consolidated links to resources on my Connexions web page and will update and add to the list as additional modulesin this collection are published.

Miscellaneous

This section contains a variety of miscellaneous information.

Housekeeping material
  • Module name: Energy -- Kinetic and Mechanical Energy
  • File: Phy1190.htm
  • Revised: 10/02/15
  • Keywords:
    • physics
    • accessible
    • accessibility
    • blind
    • graph board
    • protractor
    • screen reader
    • refreshable Braille display
    • JavaScript
    • trigonometry
    • potential energy
    • work
    • gravitational potential energy
    • elastic potential energy
    • kinetic energy
    • mechanical energy
    • total mechanical energy
Disclaimers:

Financial : Although the openstax CNX site makes it possible for you to download a PDF file for the collection that contains thismodule at no charge, and also makes it possible for you to purchase a pre-printed version of the PDF file, you should beaware that some of the HTML elements in this module may not translate well into PDF.

You also need to know that Prof. Baldwin receives no financial compensation from openstax CNX even if you purchase the PDF version of the collection.

In the past, unknown individuals have copied Prof. Baldwin's modules from cnx.org, converted them to Kindle books, and placed them for sale on Amazon.com showing Prof. Baldwin as the author.Prof. Baldwin neither receives compensation for those sales nor does he know who doesreceive compensation. If you purchase such a book, please be aware that it is a copy of a collection that is freelyavailable on openstax CNX and that it was made and published without the prior knowledge of Prof. Baldwin.

Affiliation : Prof. Baldwin is a professor of Computer Information Technology at Austin Community College in Austin, TX.

-end-

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Source:  OpenStax, Accessible physics concepts for blind students. OpenStax CNX. Oct 02, 2015 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11294/1.36
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