Question

A sled is initially given a shove up a frictionless 25.0-degree incline. It reaches a maximum vertical height 1.3 m higher than where it started. What was its initial speed?

A) 3.8 m/s
B) 4.2 m/s
C) 5.6 m/s
D) 6.4 m/s

Answer 1

To find the initial speed of the sled, we can use the conservation of energy principle. The initial kinetic energy of the sled will be equal to its potential energy at the maximum vertical height.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the initial speed of the sled, we can use the conservation of energy principle. The initial kinetic energy of the sled will be equal to its potential energy at the maximum vertical height.

The potential energy can be calculated as mgh, where m is the mass of the sled, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and h is the height difference (1.3 m).

The initial kinetic energy can be calculated as 0.5 * m * v^2, where v is the initial speed of the sled. Setting these two equations equal to each other, we have:

mgh = 0.5 * m * v^2

Cancelling out the mass, we get:

gh = 0.5 * v^2

Solving for v, we have:

v = sqrt(2 * g * h)

Using the given values of g = 9.8 m/s^2 and h = 1.3 m, we can calculate the initial speed v to be approximately 3.8 m/s.