(a) A child slides down a water slide at an amusement park from an initial heigh

Question

(a) A child slides down a water slide at an amusement park from an initial height h. The slide can be considered frictionless because of the water flowing down it. Can the equation for conservation of mechanical energy be used on the child?

1
yes
no



(b) Is the mass of the child a factor in determining his speed at the bottom of the slide?

2
yes
no



(c) The child drops straight down rather than following the curved ramp of the slide. In which case will he be traveling faster at ground level?

3
following the curved ramp
dropping straight down
same speed in either case



(d) If friction is present, how would the conservation-of-energy equation be modified?
4


(e) Find the maximum speed of the child when the slide is frictionless if the initial height of the slide is 12.0 m.
5 m/s

Explanation / Answer

(a) Yes, there is no reason why the equation of energy should not be used. It's a simple transfer from potential to kinetic energy (b) No, mass does not determine how fast an object falls. The old example is you drop a tennis ball and a bowling ball from the same height, they will hit the ground at the same time. This is because the acceleration is the only thing that matters, not the mass. (c) Energy in a frictionless setting is path-independent. If you curve in a path three times longer than going straight down, there is no difference because the only thing that matters are the initial and final positions (look at the conservation of energy equation). Therefore, same speed. (d) Simply add in a term to account for this loss of energy due to friction (heat) (e) gh = 1/2v^2 g = 9.81m/s^2 h = 12 m Therefore, v^2 = 2*12*9.81 Therefore, v = 15.34 m/s Hope this helps, thanks =)

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