How Much Power Does a Sprinter Generate in a Race?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the power generated by a sprinter during a race, focusing on a 48.0 kg sprinter who runs 46.0 m in 7.30 s with constant acceleration. The horizontal force acting on the sprinter was determined to be 82.9 N using Newton's Second Law after calculating the acceleration as 1.726 m/s². The initial attempts to calculate power output at 1.70 s using kinetic energy and energy change were incorrect, leading to confusion. Ultimately, the correct power output was found using the formula P=F*v, which incorporates the force and velocity at that time. This approach provided the accurate power output needed for the problem.
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Homework Statement


A 48.0 kg sprinter, starting from rest, runs 46.0 m in 7.30 s at constant acceleration.

a) What is the magnitude of the horizontal force acting on the sprinter?

b) What is the sprinter's power output at 1.70 s?

Homework Equations


x=x_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2}at^2
\vec{F}=ma
v=v_0 + at
KE=\frac{1}{2}mv^2
P=\frac{\Delta E}{\Delta t}

The Attempt at a Solution


For part A, I first used x=x_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2}at^2 to find the acceleration of the sprinter:

x=x_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2}at^2
46=0 + 0(7.3) + \frac{1}{2}a(7.3)^2
a=1.726 m/s^2

With the acceleration, I stuck it into Newton's Second Law and found the force.

\vec{F}=ma
\vec{F}=48(1.726)
\vec{F}=82.9 N

My answer for part A was correct.

Part B is where I am having some difficulties. First I got the velocity of the runner at 1.7 sec:

v=v_0 + at
v=0 + (1.726)(1.7)
v=2.934 m/s

I then calculated the amount of work done by calculating the kinetic energy, which I used because the sprinter is running and in motion.

KE=\frac{1}{2}mv^2
KE=\frac{1}{2}(48)(2.934)^2
KE=206.6 J

Then to calculate power, I took the change in the kinetic energy (0 J to 206.6 J) and divided it by the change in time.

P=\frac{\Delta E}{\Delta t}
P=\frac{206.6}{1.7}
P=121.55 W

That answer was marked incorrect. I then tried to add the horizontal force (the answer to part A), which added up to 204.45 W and that was also incorrect.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Nevermind, I figured it out.

I did P=F*v which gave me the correct answer.
 
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