Two cyclists ride on a hilly road and go through points P, Q, R and S - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Question 7
Two cyclists ride on a hilly road and go through points P, Q, R and S.
The diagram in Figure 16 shows how the vertical height of the road changes during the journey... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Two cyclists ride on a hilly road and go through points P, Q, R and S - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 7 - 2021 - Paper 1
Step 1
The greatest overall change in gravitational potential energy for each cyclist is between which two points on the journey?
96%
114 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
The greatest overall change in gravitational potential energy occurs between points P and Q. This is calculated by assessing the height difference, which is maximum between these points, thus yielding the highest gravitational potential energy change.
Step 2
Calculate the total amount of work done against gravity when the cyclist travels from point P to point Q in the journey.
99%
104 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
To calculate the work done against gravity, we use the formula:
W=Fimesd
where:
W is the work done,
F is the force (weight of the cyclist and bicycle), and
d is the distance moved against gravity.
Here, the weight F=700N and the height difference from P to Q is calculated from the graph as d=30m−15m=15m.