Question

Timmy has 2,630 J of mechanical energy at the top of a diving board. Timmy musters up the courage to jump off the diving board, but unfortunately for him, nails a perfect belly flop. How much mechanical energy does Timmy have when he reaches the water?

Answer 1

The potential energy when the student is 1m from the ground is calculated using the formula PE = mgh. The mechanical energy when the student lands on the ground would be equal to the potential energy. Both values would be 2630 J.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the potential energy of an object near the ground, we use the formula PE = mgh, where m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth), and h is the height above the ground. In this case, the student is 1m from the ground, so the potential energy would be PE = (mass) * (9.8 m/s^2) * (1m).

To calculate the mechanical energy of the object when it hits the ground, we add the potential energy to the kinetic energy. In this case, since Timmy performed a belly flop and did not gain any additional kinetic energy, the mechanical energy would be equal to the potential energy. Therefore, the mechanical energy when Timmy lands on the ground would also be 2630 J.