A 500 kg car has an engine that uses only 40% of the energy from the gasoline for motion. If there is 15,000J of potential energy stored in the gasoline, how fast an the car go on the gasoline?
I have no idea how to set this up. Any help?!
You would first figure out 40% of 15,000 to get how much of the energy the car uses. Then divide that number by 500, and that's your answer. Get a second opinion before you take mine too.
Okay thanks. I'll check it to make sure and see what I get.
To solve this problem, we can use the concept of energy conservation. The potential energy stored in the gasoline can be converted into kinetic energy, which is responsible for the car's motion.
First, let's find the amount of energy that the car can obtain from the gasoline. Given that the car's engine uses only 40% of the energy, we need to calculate 40% of the potential energy stored in the gasoline.
Step 1: Calculate the energy available from the gasoline:
Energy available = 40% * 15,000 J
To find 40% of a value, you can multiply the value by 0.40. Thus,
Energy available = 0.40 * 15,000 J
Step 2: Calculate the kinetic energy of the car using the available energy:
Kinetic energy = Energy available
Step 3: Use the formula for kinetic energy:
Kinetic energy = 1/2 * mass * velocity^2
Since we know the mass of the car (500 kg) and the energy available, we can rearrange the equation to solve for velocity:
Velocity = sqrt(2 * Kinetic energy / mass)
Step 4: Plug in the known values and solve for velocity:
Velocity = sqrt(2 * Energy available / mass)
Now, you can calculate the velocity by substituting the values obtained in Step 1 and the given mass of the car:
Velocity = sqrt(2 * (0.40 * 15,000 J) / 500 kg)
Simplifying this equation will give you the final answer.