Potential/conservation of energy

  • Thread starter Thread starter kappcity06
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Energy
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating energy transformations during a rockslide involving a 340 kg rock sliding down a 500 m long and 300 m high hill with a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.28. The gravitational potential energy (U) at the top is calculated to be 999600 J. The energy transferred to thermal energy due to friction is derived from the work done against friction, which is calculated using the normal force and the distance of the slide. The kinetic energy at the bottom and the speed of the rock can be determined from the conservation of energy principle.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational potential energy (U = mgh)
  • Knowledge of kinetic energy formula (K.E. = 1/2 mv²)
  • Familiarity with the concept of friction and its coefficient
  • Basic trigonometry for calculating angles and forces on inclined planes
NEXT STEPS
  • Calculate the work done against friction using the formula E_{friction} = F_{friction} * s
  • Learn how to derive normal force on an incline using F_{N} = F_{g} * cos(α)
  • Explore the relationship between potential energy and kinetic energy in energy conservation problems
  • Study the effects of different coefficients of friction on energy loss during motion
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on mechanics and energy conservation, as well as educators seeking to explain energy transformations in real-world scenarios.

kappcity06
Messages
90
Reaction score
0
i got part of of this problem but b, c, and d I can't get. For c i think i am supposed to use k=1/2mv^2 but i don't know for sure? please help.

During a rockslide, a 340 kg rock slides from rest down a hillside that is 500 m long and 300 m high. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the rock and the hill surface is 0.28.
(a) If the gravitational potential energy U of the rock-Earth system is set to zero at the bottom of the hill, what is the value of U just before the slide?
999600J
(b) How much energy is transferred to thermal energy during the slide?
? J
(c) What is the kinetic energy of the rock as it reaches the bottom of the hill?
? J
(d) What is its speed then?
? m/s
 
Physics news on Phys.org
helllo

is the ans for (b) 466301 J ?
 
Two (equivalent) ways to approach this:
(1) via energy: How much work is done against friction?
(2) via dynamics: What's the acceleration of the rock?
 
remember that no energy can be lost !

The amount of energy at the beginning of the movement equals that after the movement. Thus from the moment at rest till tdown at the hill:

E_{pot} = E_{kinetic} + E_{friction}
=
mgh = \frac {1} {2} \ mv^{2} + E_{friction}
 
Last edited:
thecanswer for b was not correct
 
i don't have a velicity to work with
 
kappcity06 said:
i don't have a velicity to work with

that's what you need to calculate from this energy balance ;) For B E_{friction} is asked.

E_{friction} = F_{friction} * s
 
Last edited:
kappcity06 said:
(a) If the gravitational potential energy U of the rock-Earth system is set to zero at the bottom of the hill, what is the value of U just before the slide?
999600J
(b) How much energy is transferred to thermal energy during the slide?
? J
(c) What is the kinetic energy of the rock as it reaches the bottom of the hill?
? J
(d) What is its speed then?
? m/s

For b: What exactly is creating the thermal energy? I'll give you a hint... it starts with 'frictio' and ends with 'n' :wink:

Knowing this, is there any good way to calculate the total thermal energy created by the friction?

c: Once you've gotten b, what types of energy is the potential energy being converted to? Then just keep in mind conservation of energy, and you should be able to get the answer

d: Given the kinetic energy, velocity is easy to calculate
 
kappcity06 said:
thecanswer for b was not correct
not even close? :cry:
 
  • #10
i don't know the answer to b yet
 
  • #11
would i just use the coefficient of kinetic friction times the normal force for the energy of friction
 
  • #12
kappcity06 said:
would i just use the coefficient of kinetic friction times the normal force for the energy of friction

yes, but you need the work done by this force as you need to know the energy of friction that is lost as heat.

Hint: F_{N} is not F_{g}
 
  • #13
kappcity06 said:
i got part of of this problem but b, c, and d I can't get. For c i think i am supposed to use k=1/2mv^2 but i don't know for sure? please help.

During a rockslide, a 340 kg rock slides from rest down a hillside that is 500 m long and 300 m high. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the rock and the hill surface is 0.28.
(a) If the gravitational potential energy U of the rock-Earth system is set to zero at the bottom of the hill, what is the value of U just before the slide?
999600J
Yes. potential energy = mgh= (340)(300)(9.8) approximately.

(b) How much energy is transferred to thermal energy during the slide?
? J
A complicated calculation. You know the coefficient of friction and you can calculate the component of weight perpendicular to the hill (better draw some triangles to analyze that), then multiply by the coefficient of friction, 0.28, to get the actual friction force. Multiply the friction force by the length of the slope (use the Pythagorean theorem to get that) to find the energy expended in sliding down the slope. Of course, that work becomes thermal energy (heat) in the hillside.

Added later: No! It's not at all complicated. The energy used up in friction (which becomes thermal energy) is just the coefficient of friction times the Potential energy! That's remarkable. I had to do the calculation for any slope before I believed it.

(c) What is the kinetic energy of the rock as it reaches the bottom of the hill?
? J
You know the potential energy at the top of the hill and, since the rock was sitting still, it had no kinetic energy so that (your answer to (a)) is the total energy. Since the rock has potential energy 0 at the bottom of the hill, part of the total energy has gone into thermal energy (part (c)) and what is left is kinetic energy.

(d) What is its speed then?
? m/s
Kinetic energy is (1/2)m v2. You are given m and you know the kinetic energy from (c). Solve for v.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #14
oookk. I got it now. thanks to all who helped
 
  • #15
i didn't get it
 
  • #16
kappcity06 said:
i didn't get it

lol, what you didn't get :smile:
 
  • #17
for b i did 340 kg* 9.8 (for the force perpendicular to the hill) times the coefficient of kinetic friction, .28 then I muiltiplyed that by the lengght of the hill.583.1

i got 544008.976 could this be right?
 
Last edited:
  • #18
kappcity06 said:
for b i did 340 kg times the coefficient of kinetic friction, .28 then I muiltiplyed that by the lengght of the hill.583.1

we have a hill here with a certain angle. The vector of the normal force stand in a right angle at the surface.

--> you need to make 2 vectors of the gravitational force: 1 in the direetion of the movement and 1 at a right angle at the surface.

The angle can be calculate by the length of the hill and the highth use goniometry.

Thus: F_{n} = F_{g} * cos \alpha
 
Last edited:
  • #19
so one vector directed down the hill at 9.8 and one vector directed perpendicular to the hil at 3332
 
  • #20
i got an angle of 59 degress tan-1(500/300). then i did 9.8cos59=5.04
 
  • #21
kappcity06 said:
so one vector directed down the hill at 9.8 and one vector directed perpendicular to the hil at 3332

yes. The gravitational force is easy to calculate. Then you need to know the angle of the hill and this also the angle of one of the 2 new vectors you made out of the vector of the gravitational force.

Thus use the equation i posted before about the normal force.

--> i get for the angle:

sin \alpha = \frac{300} {500}

\alpha = sin^{-1} (0,6) = 36,9
 
Last edited:
  • #22
so the normal force is 1713.6 N
 
  • #23
sdekivit said:
yes. The gravitational force is easy to calculate. Then you need to know the angle of the hill and this also the angle of one of the 2 new vectors you made out of the vector of the gravitational force.

Thus use the equation i posted before about the normal force.

--> i get for the angle:

sin \alpha = \frac{300} {500}

\alpha = sin^{-1} (0,6) = 36,9

I'm not sure what this means
 
  • #24
kappcity06 said:
so the normal force is 1713.6 N

Sorry. I don't get that:

F_{N} = 340 * 9.81 * cos 36.9 = 2667.3 N
 
  • #25
ooooo 36.9
 
  • #26
ok so know 2667.3 times .28=746.844
that isthe energy from friction. is that the answer
 
  • #27
kappcity06 said:
ok so know 2667.3 times .28=746.844
that isthe energy from friction. is that the answer

please forgive me: I'm from holland and we use the , instead of the . in these numbers. So if you see any ,s you now know they should be a .

Now that's force of friction and we need energy of friction. Go back to a few replies earlier.
 
  • #28
so 746.844 times s will give us the energy of friciton. I don't know what s stands for.

dont worry about the comma thing
 
  • #29
is s the side length 583.1
 
  • #30
kappcity06 said:
so 746.844 times s will give us the energy of friciton. I don't know what s stands for.

dont worry about the comma thing

s = distance of the movement, thus the length of the hill: 500 m
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
668
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
6K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
994
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
5K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
4
Views
1K