Speed of a truck wthout brakes down a hill

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the speed of a truck weighing 100,000 pounds (45,359 kg) rolling down a hill with a vertical drop of 85 meters and a horizontal distance of 1,510 meters. The truck starts with an initial speed of 50 km/h. Participants suggest using the principle of conservation of energy, equating the potential energy at the top of the hill to the kinetic energy at the bottom to determine the final speed. The equations necessary for this calculation were requested for clarity and further exploration.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of potential and kinetic energy concepts
  • Familiarity with basic physics equations
  • Knowledge of energy conservation principles
  • Ability to perform unit conversions (e.g., km/h to m/s)
NEXT STEPS
  • Learn about the conservation of energy in physics
  • Study the equations for potential energy (PE = mgh) and kinetic energy (KE = 0.5mv²)
  • Explore unit conversion techniques for speed measurements
  • Investigate real-world applications of energy conservation in automotive physics
USEFUL FOR

Physics students, automotive engineers, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of vehicles in motion, particularly in scenarios involving gravitational forces and energy conservation.

jamilm9
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1. Hi,
I'm trying to find the speed that a truck rolling down a hill which brakes have failed. The hill has a drop of 85 meters vertically and a horizontal of 1510 meters. The hill is like a right angle where the bottom right is the 90 degrees. The bottom left is 3.2 degrees and the top right is 86.8 degrees according to my calculations. Assuming the truck weighs 100 000 pounds or 45359 kg and has a starting speed of 50 km/h at the top of the hill what is the speed at the bottom of the hill. Can you please show all your equations so I can sub in any values that I need to.
Thank You
 
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Hi Jamilm9! welcome to PF!

you need to show your approach here, if you are stuck we will help you.

however, try to equate the potential energy at top with kinetic energy at the bottom and find velocity.
 

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