A roller coaster car starts stationary at the top of a downwards slope. At the bottom of the slope, it has a speed of 30m/s. Use the conservation of energy to find the vertical height of the slope. (Use g=10 m/s^2)

From the conservation of energy, we know that the change in gravitational potential energy (GPE) is equal to the change in kinetic energy (KE). GPE=mgh and KE=(1/2)mv^2. At the top of the slope, the car starts stationary so has KE=0 and at the bottom of the slope GPE=0. Therefore the GPE at the top equals the KE at the bottom. mgh=(1/2)mv^2. Divide both sides by the mass (m) to get gh=(1/2)v^2 and rearrange to find h, h=v^2/2g. Substitute in the numbers to find h=45m (don't forget units!)

TM
Answered by Tamsin M. Physics tutor

4165 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A car accelerates (at a constant acceleration) from a velocity of 25m/s to 34m/s in 6s. Calculate the cars acceleration.


How is a PET scanner able to locate a tumour in the patient's body?


A note was played on a a keyboard. The frequency of the note was 440 Hz. (a) What does a frequency of 440 Hz mean? (b) The sound waves produced by the keyboard travel at a speed of 340 m/s. Calculate the wavelength of the note.


Calculate the acceleration if a force of 500N is exerted on a mass of 20kg


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning