A student is investigating the motion and stopping distance of a go-kart.
The student releases the go-kart from the top of a ramp three times and measures the stopping distance from the bottom of the ramp. The results are shown in the table below:
| Trial number | Stopping distance (m) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5.2 |
| 2 | 9.8 |
| 3 | 5.6 |
(i) Calculate the mean stopping distance of the go-kart. If you identify an anomalous result, omit it from your calculation.
The total mass of the go-kart and the driver is 120 kg120\text{ kg}120 kg. The height of the ramp is 2.5 m2.5\text{ m}2.5 m.
Calculate the gravitational potential energy of the go-kart and driver at the top of the ramp. Take the gravitational field strength as 10 N/kg10\text{ N/kg}10 N/kg.
On a flat, straight section of the track, the go-kart accelerates from rest to a velocity of 8 m/s8\text{ m/s}8 m/s.
Estimate the acceleration of the go-kart by choosing a realistic time taken for this acceleration. Use the equation: acceleration=change in velocitytime\text{acceleration} = \frac{\text{change in velocity}}{\text{time}}acceleration=timechange in velocity