High School

Venom, whose mass is 60.5 kg, jumps to the ground from a wall that is 1.69 m high to avoid pursuit by Spiderman. What will Venom's kinetic energy be at the moment of impact with the ground?

Answer :

To determine Venom's kinetic energy at the moment of impact with the ground, we need to consider the principles of energy conservation.

Initially, when Venom is on top of the wall, he possesses potential energy due to his height. As he jumps down, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

  1. Calculate the initial potential energy (PE):

    The formula for gravitational potential energy is given by:

    [tex]PE = m \cdot g \cdot h[/tex]

    where:

    • [tex]m = 60.5 \text{ kg}[/tex] (mass of Venom)
    • [tex]g = 9.81 \text{ m/s}^2[/tex] (acceleration due to gravity)
    • [tex]h = 1.69 \text{ m}[/tex] (height of the wall)

    Plugging in these values:

    [tex]PE = 60.5 \cdot 9.81 \cdot 1.69[/tex]
    [tex]PE = 1002.04845 \text{ Joules}[/tex]

  2. Determine the kinetic energy (KE) at impact:

    According to the law of conservation of energy, the potential energy at the top of the wall is converted into kinetic energy at the moment of impact. Thus, the kinetic energy at impact is equivalent to the initial potential energy.

    Therefore, the kinetic energy (KE) when Venom hits the ground is:

    [tex]KE = 1002.04845 \text{ Joules}[/tex]

So, Venom's kinetic energy at the moment of impact with the ground is approximately 1002.05 Joules. This scenario assumes that there is no air resistance and that all the potential energy is efficiently converted to kinetic energy.