Question

A 2.5 kg falcon soaring at a height of 500 meters has a certain potential energy. Now suppose the falcon were carrying a 1.0 kg snake. What would the new height be if the total potential energy were to remain the same?

Answer 1

The new height is 357.143m

Step-by-step explanation:

Given:

Mass of the falcon (M) = 2.5 kg

Height of the falcon (H) = 500 m

Mass of the snake (m) = 1 kg

To Find:

Thew new Height if the total potential energy were to remain the same = ?

Solution:

Now,the initial potential energy would be given by

`P_1 = MgH`

And the final potential energy would be

`P_2 = (M+m)gh`

where

h is the new height

Now, the potential energy is same

Therefore,

`P_1 =P_2`

`MgH = (M+m)gh`

`MH = (M+m)h`

On Substituting the values,

`2.5* 500 =(1+2.5) * h`

`1250 = (3.5 )h`

`h = (1250)/(3.5)`

h =357.143 m