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A pilot begins to land an aircraft - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 4
A pilot begins to land an aircraft. (a) The height of the aircraft decreases from 200 m above the ground to 100 m. (i) What happens to the gravitational potential ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A pilot begins to land an aircraft - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
What happens to the gravitational potential energy of the aircraft?
Answer
The gravitational potential energy is calculated based on height above the ground. As the aircraft descends from 200 m to 100 m, the height decreases, leading to a reduction in gravitational potential energy. Therefore, the answer is:
☑️ B it decreases.
Step 2
What happens to the kinetic energy of the aircraft?
Answer
Since the velocity of the aircraft remains constant, the kinetic energy, which is dependent on the speed and mass of the aircraft, does not change. The formula for kinetic energy (KE) is given by:
Where m is the mass and v is the velocity. With a constant velocity, the kinetic energy remains the same, so the answer is:
☑️ C it does not change.