Why Does My Calculation of Kinetic Energy Yield a Negative Result?

couris
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Hello,
http://fm92-1.com/physics.jpg"
The initial speed is 0 m/s
We let go of the rope
What is the system's kinetic energy when the little block is at 15 cm from the ground?

What's wrong with my work?
[tex]E_{t}=E_{P}+E_{F}+E_{K}\Rightarrow E_{K}=E_{t}-E_{P}-E_{F}[/tex]
where Et is total energy, Ep is potential energy, Ef is friction energy and Ek is kinetic energy.

[tex]E_{K}=0.75*9.81*0.45-0.75*9.81*0.15-0.1*2.5*9.81=-2.4[/tex]
The answer is 1.47, but i get -2.4
What to do?
Thank you
 
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Your last term, energy lost due to friction, is calculated wrong. Friction energy is force times distance. What you have is force. You need to multiply it by a distance (how far the block moves) to get energy.

I don't know if you get the right answer, but that's one thing that's wrong that I could find.
 

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