A school science fair displays three vehicles on a model straight track: a bicycle
PHYSICS · Multi-part · AP · Physics 1: Algebra-based · Work Energy and Power · Work Energy and Power
Problem
A school science fair displays three vehicles on a model straight track: a bicycle, a scooter and a car. Their masses and initial speeds are given below:
Vehicle Mass (kg) Speed (m/s)
Bicycle 80 6
Scooter 120 10
Car 800 15
Use the data to answer the following.
(a) Compute the kinetic energy of each vehicle at the given speeds.
(b) Arrange the vehicles in descending order of kinetic energy and justify your answer numerically.
(c) If the cyclist suddenly doubles the speed of the bicycle while the scooter and car maintain their original speeds, determine the new kinetic energy of the bicycle and state whether the ranking obtained in part (b) changes. Give reasons for your conclusion.