Question

A human cannonball act uses springy bungee cords instead of gunpowder to launch a person through a long cylindrical tube into the air. If a cannon is capable of launching a 55 kg test dummy 11 m into the air when launched straight up, how much energy is stored in the bungee cords? *

A. 539J
B. 605 J
C. 2965J
D. 5929 J

Answer 1

The energy stored in the bungee cords used to launch a human cannonball is equal to the gravitational potential energy at the top of the ascent. Calculating this using the mass of the test dummy, gravity, and the launch height gives us a total of 5929.5 J of stored energy. So the correcct option is D.

Step-by-step explanation:

The problem is asking to determine the amount of energy stored in the bungee cords used to launch a human cannonball. To find this, we can use the concept of gravitational potential energy (GPE), which is the energy an object has due to its height above the ground. The formula for GPE is GPE = m × g × h, where m is the mass of the test dummy (55 kg), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²), and h is the height the test dummy is launched into the air (11 m). Calculating this gives us:

GPE = 55 kg × 9.81 m/s² × 11 m = 5929.5 J. Therefore, 5929.5 J of energy is stored in the bungee cords.

Answer 2

Energy stored, E = 5929 J

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that,

The mass of a test dummy, m = 55 kg

It is launched 11 m into the air.

We need to find the energy stored in the bungee cords. It can be calculated as follows :

`E=mgh\\\\E=55* 9.8* 11\\\\E=5929\ J`

So, 5929 J of energy is stored in the bungee cords.