An engineer uses a single optical sensor to measure the speed of packages sliding down a straight conveyor chute in an automated warehouse. A thin rectangular label of known length is attached to the top of each package to trigger the optical sensor as it passes.
Which two measurements are required to determine the speed of the package as it passes the optical sensor? (Choose two from: Total mass of the package, Length of the label, Duration for which the optical beam is broken by the label, Angle of inclination of the chute, Total length of the chute.)
A test capsule is dropped down a vertical, evacuated drop-shaft of a pneumatic transport system. The decrease in the gravitational potential energy of the capsule during the descent is 17.64 kJ17.64\text{ kJ}17.64 kJ. The capsule descends through a vertical height of 25.0 m25.0\text{ m}25.0 m. Taking the gravitational field strength g=9.8 N/kgg = 9.8\text{ N/kg}g=9.8 N/kg, calculate the mass of the capsule.
Assuming air resistance and other resistive forces inside the evacuated drop-shaft are completely negligible, explain why capsules of different masses reach the bottom of the shaft with approximately the same speed when dropped from the same height.
Practise AQA GCSE Physics Forces and motion with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 83 questions covering Describing motion along a line, Forces, accelerations and Newton's Laws of motion, and Forces and braking, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.