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Ch 06: Dynamics I: Motion Along a Line
Knight Calc - Physics for Scientists and Engineers 5th Edition
Knight Calc5th EditionPhysics for Scientists and EngineersISBN: 9780137344796Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 6, Problem 44

Compressed air is used to fire a 50 g ball vertically upward from a 1.0-m-tall tube. The air exerts an upward force of 2.0 N on the ball as long as it is in the tube. How high does the ball go above the top of the tube? Neglect air resistance.

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Step 1: Identify the forces acting on the ball while it is in the tube. The upward force exerted by the compressed air is 2.0 N, and the downward force due to gravity is the ball's weight, which can be calculated using the formula: F=mg, where m is the mass of the ball (0.050 kg) and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²).
Step 2: Determine the net force acting on the ball while it is in the tube. The net force is given by: Fnet=Fair-Fgravity. Use the values from Step 1 to calculate this net force.
Step 3: Use Newton's second law of motion to calculate the acceleration of the ball while it is in the tube. The formula is: a=Fnetm, where Fnet is the net force from Step 2 and m is the mass of the ball.
Step 4: Calculate the velocity of the ball as it exits the tube using the kinematic equation: v2=v0+2ad, where v0 is the initial velocity (0 m/s), a is the acceleration from Step 3, and d is the length of the tube (1.0 m). Solve for v, the velocity at the top of the tube.
Step 5: Determine the maximum height the ball reaches above the tube. Use the kinematic equation: v2=v0-2gh, where v is the final velocity (0 m/s at the maximum height), v0 is the velocity at the top of the tube (from Step 4), and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Solve for h, the height above the tube.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

Newton's Second Law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This principle is crucial for analyzing the forces acting on the ball, as it allows us to calculate the net force and resulting acceleration when the ball is fired upward.
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Kinematic Equations

Kinematic equations describe the motion of objects under constant acceleration. In this scenario, we can use these equations to determine the maximum height the ball reaches after being propelled by the force of the compressed air, taking into account its initial velocity and the acceleration due to gravity.
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Energy Conservation

The principle of energy conservation states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another. In this context, the kinetic energy imparted to the ball by the compressed air will convert into gravitational potential energy as the ball rises, allowing us to calculate the height it reaches above the tube.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

A 2.0 kg object initially at rest at the origin is subjected to the time-varying force shown in FIGURE P6.38. What is the object's velocity at t = 4 s?

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