Question

The cheetah is one of the fastest-accelerating animals, because it can go from rest to 27 m/s (about 60 mi/h) in 4.0 s. If its mass is 110 kg, determine the average power developed by the cheetah during the acceleration phase of its motion. Express your answer in

(a) watts

(b) horsepower.

Answer 1

A. 10023.75 Watts

B. 13.44 horse power

Step-by-step explanation:

A. Determination of the power in Watts.

We'll begin by calculating the energy of the cheetah. This can be obtained as follow

Velocity (v) = 27 m/s

Mass (m) = 110 kg

Kinetic energy (KE) =?

KE = ½mv²

KE = ½ × 110 × 27²

KE = 55 × 729

KE = 40095 J

Finally, we shall determine the power in Watts. This can be obtained as follow:

Kinetic energy (KE) = 40095 J

Time (t) = 4 s

Power (P) =?

Power = Energy /time

Power = 40095 / 4

Power = 10023.75 Watts

B. Determination of the power in horse power.

Power in Watts = 10023.75 Watts

Power in horse power =?

Recall:

746 Watts = 1 hp

Therefore,

10023.75 Watts = 10023.75 / 746

10023.75 Watts = 13.44 hp

Therefore, the power in horse power is 13.44 hp