Question

A baseball player slides to a stop on level ground. Using energy considerations, calculate the distance the 65-kg baseball player slides, given that his initial speed is 6 m/s and the force of friction against him is a constant 450 N.

a. True
b. False

Answer 1

Using energy considerations, we can calculate the distance a baseball player slides to a stop on level ground. The work done by the friction force against the player reduces his initial kinetic energy. By equating the work done by friction to the initial kinetic energy, we can solve for the distance the player slides.

Step-by-step explanation:

Using energy considerations, we can calculate the distance a baseball player slides to a stop on level ground. The work done by the friction force against the player reduces his initial kinetic energy to zero. The equation for this can be expressed as KE + PE + Wnc = KEf + PEf, where KE is the initial kinetic energy, PE is the initial potential energy, Wnc is the work done by nonconservative forces, KEf is the final kinetic energy, and PEf is the final potential energy.

In this case, the work done by the friction force (Wnc) is equal to the product of the force of friction (f) and the distance the player slides (d), or Wnc = fd. Since the initial kinetic energy (KE) is equal to the work done by friction, we can equate the two equations to solve for the distance the player slides:

fd = KE = 0.5mv2

where m is the mass of the player (65 kg) and v is the initial speed (6 m/s). Rearranging the equation, we get:

d = KE / f = 0.5mv2 / f = 0.5 * (65 kg) * (6 m/s)2 / 450 N = 2.2 m

Therefore, the baseball player slides a distance of 2.2 meters.