Question

In the winter sport of bobsledding, athletes push their sled along a horizontal ice surface and then hop on the sled as it starts to careen down the steeply sloped track. In one event, the sled reaches a top speed of 9.2 m/s before starting down the initial part of the track, which is sloped downward at an angle of 4.0 ∘ What is the sled's speed after it has traveled the first 140 m ?

Answer 1

Gravitational acceleration = g = 9.81 m/s²

Mass of the sled and the athlete = M

Speed of the sled just before starting down the initial part of the track = V₁ = 9.2 m/s

Angle of incline of the slope = = 4^o

Length the sled travels on the slope = L = 140 m

Height through which the sled and the athlete fall = H

H = LSin

H = (140)Sin(4)

H = 9.766 m

Speed of the sled after it has traveled the first 140 m = V₂

By conservation of energy the initial kinetic energy of the sled and the athlete plus the potential energy lost is equal to the final kinetic energy of the sled and the athlete.

V₂ = 16.6 m/s

Speed of the sled after it has traveled the first 140 m = 16.6 m/s