Question

Ernie bungee jumps from a 25-meter tall bridge. Ernie has a mass of 75 kilograms. The bungee cord is usually 5 meters long, and has a spring constant of 130.7 newtons per meter. When his bungee cord is fully stretched, the bungee cord is 20 meters long. How much spring potential energy does the bungee cord have when the cord is at max stretch?

Options:
A) 156,360 Joules
B) 313,760 Joules
C) 234,540 Joules
D) 208,260 Joules

Answer 1

The spring potential energy of the bungee cord at maximum stretch is A) 156,360 Joules.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the spring potential energy, we can use the formula:

Spring Potential Energy = 1/2 * k * (x - x_unstretched)^2

where k is the spring constant, x is the current length of the bungee cord, and x_unstretched is the unstretched length of the bungee cord.

In this case, the spring constant is 130.7 N/m, the current length of the bungee cord is 20 m, and the unstretched length of the bungee cord is 5 m. Plugging these values into the formula, we get:

Spring Potential Energy = 1/2 * 130.7 * (20 - 5)² = 156,360 Joules

Therefore, the correct option is A) 156,360 Joules.