Question

In each collision, the electron loses a little bit of kinetic energy to the atoms, causing them to jiggle and adding thermal energy to the material. If the electron moves a distance of 4 cm horizontally, 3 cm vertically, and begins and ends its motion at the same speed, what amount of thermal energy did it add to the material?

a) 5
b) 10
c) 15
d) 20

Answer 1

In each collision, the electron loses kinetic energy to the atoms, causing them to jiggle and adding thermal energy to the material. The total distance traveled by the electron is 5 cm.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, the electron loses a little bit of kinetic energy to the atoms in each collision, causing them to jiggle and adding thermal energy to the material. The horizontal and vertical distances traveled by the electron are 4 cm and 3 cm respectively. Since the electron begins and ends its motion at the same speed, we can calculate the total distance traveled using the Pythagorean theorem:

Distance = √((Horizontal distance)² + (Vertical distance)²) = √((4 cm)² + (3 cm)²) = √(16 cm² + 9 cm²) = √25 cm² = 5 cm

Therefore, the electron has added thermal energy to the material over a distance of 5 cm.