Question

A warehouse employee pushed a 30.0 kg desk across a floor at a constant speed of 0.50 m/s. How much work must the employee do on the desk to change the speed to 1.00 m/s? Round the answer to the nearest tenth of a Joule.

Answer 1

The work required to accelerate a 30.0 kg desk from 0.50 m/s to 1.00 m/s is the change in its kinetic energy, which is 11.3 J when rounded to the nearest tenth of a Joule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking about the work needed to change the speed of a 30.0 kg desk from 0.50 m/s to 1.00 m/s. The work-energy principle states that the work done on an object is equal to the change in kinetic energy of the object. The kinetic energy (KE) is given by the equation KE = (1/2)mv², where m is the mass and v is the velocity of the object. The change in kinetic energy (ΔKE) can be calculated as:

KE_initial = (1/2)(30.0 kg)(0.50 m/s)² = 3.75 J

KE_final = (1/2)(30.0 kg)(1.00 m/s)² = 15 J

So, the change in kinetic energy is ΔKE = KE_final - KE_initial = 15 J - 3.75 J = 11.25 J.

Therefore, the work required to increase the desk's speed is 11.25 J, which can be rounded to 11.3 J to the nearest tenth of a Joule.