A block of mass 2 kg is sliding down a frictionless incline of height 10 m. What

A block of mass 2 kg is sliding down a frictionless incline of height 10 m. What is its speed at the bottom?

A block of mass 2 kg is sliding down a frictionless incline of height 10 m. What is its speed at the bottom?

Step 1: Identify the mass of the block, which is 2 kg.
Step 2: Identify the height of the incline, which is 10 m.
Step 3: Understand that the block starts with potential energy at the top and converts it to kinetic energy at the bottom.
Step 4: Use the formula for potential energy (PE) at the top: PE = mgh, where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²), and h is height.
Step 5: Calculate the potential energy at the top: PE = 2 kg * 9.8 m/s² * 10 m = 196 Joules.
Step 6: At the bottom, all potential energy converts to kinetic energy (KE). The formula for kinetic energy is KE = 0.5 * mv².
Step 7: Set the potential energy equal to the kinetic energy: 196 Joules = 0.5 * 2 kg * v².
Step 8: Simplify the equation: 196 = 1 * v², so v² = 196.
Step 9: Take the square root of both sides to find v: v = sqrt(196) = 14 m/s.

Conservation of Energy – The principle that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another, in this case from potential energy to kinetic energy.
Kinetic and Potential Energy – Understanding the relationship between potential energy (mgh) at a height and kinetic energy (0.5mv²) at the bottom of the incline.
Frictionless Surfaces – Recognizing that the absence of friction simplifies the energy transformation process.