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A student lifts a toy car from a bench and places the toy car at the top of a slope as shown in Figure 2 - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 2
A student lifts a toy car from a bench and places the toy car at the top of a slope as shown in Figure 2. (a) Describe an energy transfer that occurs when the stude... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student lifts a toy car from a bench and places the toy car at the top of a slope as shown in Figure 2 - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 2 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe an energy transfer that occurs when the student lifts the toy car from the bench and places the toy car at the top of the slope.
Answer
When the student lifts the toy car, the gravitational potential energy (GPE) of the toy car increases. This energy transfer occurs because work is done against gravity to elevate the car from the bench to the top of the slope. The energy comes from the student's muscles, converting chemical energy stored in their body into gravitational potential energy.
Step 2
Describe how the student could find, by experiment, the speed of the toy car at the bottom of the slope.
Answer
To determine the speed of the toy car at the bottom of the slope, the student can follow these steps:
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Measurement of Distance: Measure the length of the slope from the top to the bottom using a ruler or measuring tape.
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Measurement of Time: Use a stopwatch to measure the time it takes for the toy car to roll down the slope.
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Calculating Speed: Calculate the speed of the car using the formula: where 'Distance' is the length of the slope and 'Time' is the recorded time.
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Detailing the Experiment: Repeat the experiment multiple times to get an average speed for more accuracy. The student could also use a light gate at the bottom of the slope to measure the time more precisely.