Question

A group of physics students wants to propose a new event for the Winter Olympics: An athlete will sprint 100m, then leap onto a bobsled (m=20 kg). The bobsled with the athlete on it will then slide down a 50 m long, ice-covered ramp, built at an angle of 20 degrees. At the end of the ramp, the bobsled with the athlete will run into a spring with a spring constant of 2000 N/m. The athlete who compresses the spring farthest wins the competition. a) (2 points) Lisa (m=40 kg) is able to reach a speed of 12 m/s in the sprint. What will be the speed of the Lisa-bobsled combination at the moment she leaps on it? (Hint: what kind of collision is this?) b) (3 points) How far will Lisa compress the spring? c) (2 points) The Olympic committee wants to make very exact specifications about the height, shape and angle of the ramp. What should the physics students tell them, i.e. what are the relevant physical quantities in this competition?

Answer 1