Skip to content

Course home

Sign up

3 Conservation of energy

EasyMediumHard
1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253545556575859606162636465666768697071727374
Question 3

A diver stands on the end of a springboard. The board is bent downwards and the diver is momentarily at rest. The board then straightens and launches the diver upwards.

The table shows the changes in energy stores between the instant the board starts to straighten and a later instant when the diver is moving upwards above the board.

Energy storeChange in energy in J\text{J}J
elastic store of the springboarddecrease of 1800
gravitational potential energy store of the diverincrease of 1200
kinetic store of the diverincrease of 250
thermal stores of the springboard, diver and nearby airincrease not shown

Gravitational field strength (ggg) = 10 N/kg

a.

Calculate the increase in the thermal stores of the springboard, diver and nearby air.

[2]
b.

The diver has a mass of 60 kg.

Calculate how far the diver rises vertically between the two instants.

[3]
c.

State the energy transfer pathway while the springboard pushes the diver upwards.

[1]
d.

The diver, springboard, Earth and nearby air are treated as a closed system.

Explain why energy transferred to the nearby air does not cause the total energy of this system to decrease.

[2]
Markscheme

3 Conservation of energy Questions

  1. GCSE
  2. /Physics
  3. /3 Conservation of energy

Question bank