Question

Starting from rest, a child zooms down a frictionless slide from an initial height of 3 meters. What is the child's speed at the bottom of the slide?

A) 4.9 m/s
B) 6.0 m/s
C) 7.2 m/s
D) 9.8 m/s

Answer 1

The child's speed at the bottom of the slide can be determined using the principle of conservation of energy and the formula for potential energy. The speed is approximately (C) 7.2 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The child's speed at the bottom of the slide can be determined using the principle of conservation of energy. When the child slides down the slide, the potential energy at the top of the slide is converted into kinetic energy at the bottom of the slide. The formula to calculate the speed is:

1. Calculate the potential energy at the top of the slide using the formula: potential energy = mass * acceleration due to gravity * height
2. Use the principle of conservation of energy, where the potential energy at the top is equal to the kinetic energy at the bottom: potential energy = kinetic energy
3. Rearrange the equation to solve for the speed: speed = sqrt(2 * acceleration due to gravity * height)
4. Substitute the given values into the formula to calculate the speed.

Using the given values, the speed of the child at the bottom of the slide is approximately 7.2 m/s (option C).