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Sam, whose mass is 78 kg , takes off across level snow on his jet-powered skis. The skis have a thrust of 220 N and a coefficient of kinetic friction on snow of 0.1. Unfortunately, the skis run out of fuel after only 14 s. Express your answer with the appropriate units.

A. What is Sam's top speed?
B. How far has Sam traveled when he finally coasts to a stop?

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4 votes

Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

A. To find Sam's top speed, we need to calculate the net force acting on him and use it to calculate his acceleration. Since he is moving at a constant speed, we know that his acceleration is zero. Therefore, the net force on him must be zero. The forces acting on Sam are the force of thrust from the skis and the force of friction between the skis and the snow.

The force of thrust is 220 N. The force of friction is given by:

friction = coefficient of friction × normal force

The normal force is equal to Sam's weight, which is given by:

weight = mass × gravity = 78 kg × 9.8 m/s^2 = 764.4 N

Therefore, the force of friction is:

friction = 0.1 × 764.4 N = 76.44 N

The net force is:

net force = thrust - friction = 220 N - 76.44 N = 143.56 N

Using Newton's second law, we can find Sam's acceleration:

net force = mass × acceleration

143.56 N = 78 kg × acceleration

acceleration = 1.838 m/s^2

Sam's top speed can be found using the kinematic equation:

v^2 = v0^2 + 2aΔx

where v0 is Sam's initial speed (which is zero), a is his acceleration, and Δx is the distance he travels before he runs out of fuel. Rearranging this equation, we get:

v = sqrt(2aΔx)

Plugging in the values, we get:

v = sqrt(2 × 1.838 m/s^2 × 14 s) = 7.96 m/s

Therefore, Sam's top speed is 7.96 m/s.

B. To find how far Sam travels before he runs out of fuel, we can use the kinematic equation:

Δx = v0t + (1/2)at^2

where v0 is Sam's initial speed (which is zero), a is his acceleration, and t is the time it takes for him to run out of fuel (which is 14 s). Plugging in the values, we get:

Δx = (1/2)at^2 = (1/2) × 1.838 m/s^2 × (14 s)^2 = 227.1 m

Therefore, Sam travels 227.1 meters before he coasts to a stop.

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