Final answer:
To determine the object's linear speed using conservation of mechanical energy, set up the conservation of energy equation and solve for the unknown velocity by identifying all known values and applying suitable kinematic equations.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the object's linear speed v at a distance d using the conservation of mechanical energy, you can start from first principles. This involves understanding that the total energy in the system is conserved if non-conservative forces (like friction) are negligible. In a scenario where an object is either at rest or in simple harmonic motion with zero initial velocity and maximum displacement x, the total initial energy is purely elastic potential energy given by ½kx².
When the object has moved a distance d, it has some kinetic energy due to its velocity v and may also have potential energy due to its position. Therefore, the conservation of mechanical energy equation becomes mgh = ½mv², where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, h is the height, and v is the velocity. In cases where rotational motion is involved, the equation will have an additional term for rotational kinetic energy, ½Iω², where I is the moment of inertia and ω is the angular velocity.
To solve for the final linear speed, identify all the known values such as initial velocities, distances, maximum displacement, accelerations, and potential energies. Next, apply a suitable kinematic equation or conservation of energy equation where v² = v²0 + 2a(d - d²0) and solve for the unknown velocity v.