Falling egg question (with energy equations)

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving an egg dropped from a height, focusing on energy conservation and the calculations related to potential and kinetic energy, speed, and momentum just before impact.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the loss of potential energy and is seeking guidance on how to find kinetic energy, speed, and momentum without knowing the velocity or time. Some participants question the relationship between potential energy and kinetic energy, while others suggest using conservation of energy principles.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring various approaches to the problem, with some guidance provided regarding the conservation of energy and the equations of motion for freely falling objects. There is an acknowledgment of the initial conditions and the acceleration due to gravity, but no explicit consensus has been reached.

Contextual Notes

The problem assumes negligible air resistance and involves calculations based on the height from which the egg is dropped. The original poster has successfully calculated the potential energy but is uncertain about the subsequent steps.

jackamo321
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An egg of mass 5.8*10^-2 is dropped from a height of 1.5m onto a floor. Assuming air resistance is negligable, calculate for the egg:

a) loss of potential energy.
b) the kinetic energy just before impact.
c) the speed just before impact
d) the momentum just before impact.

So far i have done the potential energy one, and now I am stuck on the others. As the equation for KE is KE=1/2mV^2 but we do not know the velocity. And i cannot find out the velocity because we don't have the time either. So i was just wondering how i would work out b-d as all of their equations require velocity.

Thanks

Jack
 
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jackamo321 said:
An egg of mass 5.8*10^-2 is dropped from a height of 1.5m onto a floor. Assuming air resistance is negligable, calculate for the egg:

a) loss of potential energy.
b) the kinetic energy just before impact.
c) the speed just before impact
d) the momentum just before impact.

So far i have done the potential energy one, and now I am stuck on the others. As the equation for KE is KE=1/2mV^2 but we do not know the velocity. And i cannot find out the velocity because we don't have the time either. So i was just wondering how i would work out b-d as all of their equations require velocity.

Thanks

Jack

I hope you are familiar with the concept of energy conservation. What happens to all that potential energy lost when it's dropped?
 
oh ok, does that mean that the kinetic energy will be the same as the loss of potential energy then? But still, how do i work out the speed and momentum?
 
Right, you now have KE before impact, and that KE = 1/2mv^2...
 
Thanks a lot! think I've done it now!
 
Conservation of Energy is easy. But to clarify, you can still calculate the velocity without it.
The egg has been dropped => initial velocity is zero!
All freely falling bodies accelerate at g which is 9.8m/s2
The body traveled 1.5m before hitting the ground.
You will need two equations and work a little more.
 

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