High School

Two objects are applying force on each other at a height of 20 m.

- Object 1: Mass = 21,000 kg, Energy (E) = 4,116,000 J
- Object 2: Mass = _ kg, Velocity (v) = 23 m/s

Determine the mass of object 2.

Answer :

To find the mass of object 2 with a given kinetic energy and velocity, we use the kinetic energy formula, resulting in an approximate mass of 15,559 kg.

To determine the mass of object 2, we first need to understand that the energy given for object 1 is its potential energy since it is positioned at a certain height. The potential energy (PE) for object 1 can be expressed as PE = mgh, where m is the mass, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2), and h is the height.

The energy provided for object 1 is 4,116,000 J. To find the mass of object 2, we'll use the formula for kinetic energy (KE), which is KE = 1/2 mv2, where m is mass and v is velocity. Given that object 2's velocity (v) is 23 m/s, we can rearrange the formula to solve for mass (m): m = (2 × KE) / v2.

So, for object 2 with a kinetic energy equal to that of object 1 (4,116,000 J):

  • m = (2 × 4,116,000 J) / (23 m/s)2
  • m = 8,232,000 J / 529 m2/s2
  • m ≈ 15,559 kg

Therefore, the mass of object 2 is approximately 15,559 kg.