Which of these would be a typical speed for a racing cyclist travelling down a steep straight slope? A 0.2 m/s B 2 m/s C 20 m/s D 200 m/s (iii) A cyclist travels down a slope - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2019 - Paper 1

To calculate the change in gravitational potential energy (GPE), we use the formula:

$\Delta GPE = m \times g \times h$

Where:

• m = mass of the cyclist = 75 kg
• g = gravitational field strength = 10 N/kg
• h = height difference = 20 m

Substituting the values:

$\Delta GPE = 75 \times 10 \times 20$

Calculating this yields:

$\Delta GPE = 15000 \text{ J}$

We will utilize the equation to find distance:

$x = \frac{v^2 - u^2}{2a}$

Given:

• Final speed, v = 80 m/s
• Initial speed, u = 0 m/s
• Acceleration, a = 4 m/s²

Now substituting these values:

$x = \frac{80^2 - 0^2}{2 \times 4} = \frac{6400}{8} = 800 \text{ m}$

Thus, the distance travelled by the aircraft while accelerating is 800 m.