Understanding Work-Energy Principle in Physics
How can we determine the distance a student needs to be pushed to achieve a final kinetic energy of 362 J?
Given data: A student wearing frictionless roller skates on a horizontal surface is pushed by a friend with a constant force of 55 N.
Answer:
Using the work-energy principle, the student on frictionless roller skates must be pushed 6.58 meters by a constant force of 55 N to achieve a final kinetic energy of 362 J.
The work-energy principle in physics helps us understand the relationship between work done on an object and its change in kinetic energy. In this scenario, the student wearing frictionless roller skates is pushed by a friend with a force of 55 N on a horizontal surface.
According to the work-energy principle, the work done on the student by the force is equal to the student's change in kinetic energy. Since the student starts from rest, her initial kinetic energy is 0 J, and the final kinetic energy is given as 362 J.
To calculate the distance the student must be pushed, we use the formula for work: Work = Force x Distance. By substituting the given values, we can determine that the student needs to be pushed approximately 6.58 meters to achieve a final kinetic energy of 362 J.