Question

A bicycle rider has a speed of 19.0 m/s at a height of 55.0 m above sea level when he begins coasting down hill. The mass of the rider and his bike is 88.0 kg. Sea level is the zero level for measuring gravitational potential energy. Ignoring friction and air resistance, what is the rider’s total mechanical energy when he coasts to a height of 25.0 m above sea level

Answer 1

Answer:

The mechanical energy of the rider at any height will be 6.34 × 10⁴ J.

Explanation:

Hi there!

The mechanical energy of the rider is calculated as the sum of the gravitational potential energy plus the kinetic energy. Since there are no dissipative forces (like friction), the mechanical energy of the rider at a height of 55.0 m above the sea level will be the same at a height of 25.0 m (or at any height), because the loss in potential energy will be compensated by a gain in kinetic energy, according to the law of conservation of energy.

Then, calculating the potential and kinetic energy at 55.0 m and 19 m/s, we can obtain the mechanical energy that will be constant:

Mechanical energy = PE + KE

Where:

PE = potential energy.

KE = kinetic energy.

The potential energy is calculated as follows:

PE = m · g · h

Where:

m = mass of the object.

g = acceleration due to gravity.

h = height.

Then, the potential energy of the rider will be:

PE = 88.0 kg · 9.81 m/s² · 55.0 m = 4.75 × 10⁴ J

The kinetic energy is calculated as follows:

KE = 1/2 · m · v²

Where "m" is the mass of the object and "v" its velocity. Then:

KE = 1/2 · 88.0 kg · (19.0 m/s)²

KE = 1.59 × 10⁴ J

The mechanical energy of the rider will be:

Mechanical energy = PE + KE = 4.75 × 10⁴ J + 1.59 × 10⁴ J = 6.34 × 10⁴ J

This mechanical energy is constant because when the rider coast down the hill, its potential energy is being converted into kinetic energy, so that the sum of potential energy plus kinetic energy remains constant.