Question

Parker is a 59 kg pole vaulter and after successfully completing a vault, her center of mass achieves a maximum peak of height of 4.6 meters after pole-vaulting over the crossbar set at that height. She lands on a thick crash pad and when she first makes contact with the mat, her center of mass is 0.8 meters above the ground. During her impact with the mat, the mat undergoes a maximum compression at the point when her vertical velocity reaches 0 m/s and her center of mass is 0.4 meters from the ground.

What is Parker’s maximum potential energy during the vault?

Answer 1

Parker's maximum potential energy during her pole vaulting activity is 2662.12 joules, calculated using the formula for gravitational potential energy PE = mgh, with her mass of 59 kg and peak height of 4.6 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating Parker's maximum potential energy during her pole vaulting activity. To find her potential energy at the peak height, we use the formula PE = mgh, where PE is potential energy, m is mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.80 m/s2), and h is the height above the reference point.

In Parker's case, her mass m is 59 kg, and the maximum peak height h is 4.6 meters. As a result, her maximum potential energy at the peak would be:

PE = (59 kg) × (9.80 m/s2) × (4.6 m) = 2662.12 J (joules)

Therefore, Parker's maximum potential energy during her vault is 2662.12 joules.