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A 60 kg bicyclist rides his 9.8 kg bicycle with a speed of 15 m/s How much work must be done by the brakes to bring the bike and rider to a stop?

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Final answer:

The work done by the brakes to bring the bike and rider to a stop is 7852.5 joules.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the work done by the brakes, we need to calculate the initial kinetic energy of the bike and rider and the final kinetic energy when they come to a stop.

Given: Mass of the bicyclist (m1) = 60 kg, Mass of the bicycle (m2) = 9.8 kg, Initial speed (v) = 15 m/s.

The initial kinetic energy (KE1) = 0.5 * m1 * v^2 + 0.5 * m2 * v^2

The final kinetic energy (KE2) will be 0, as the bike and rider come to a stop.

Therefore, the work done by the brakes will be equal to the change in kinetic energy:

Work = KE1 - KE2

Substituting the values, we get:

Work = (0.5 * 60 * 15^2) + (0.5 * 9.8 * 15^2) - 0

Work = 6750 + 1102.5 - 0

Work = 7852.5 joules

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