A toy launcher shoots a small plastic ball of mass 0.015 kg0.015 \text{ kg}0.015 kg vertically upwards. As it leaves the launcher, the speed of the ball is 40 m/s40 \text{ m/s}40 m/s.
Take the acceleration of free fall g=10 m/s2g = 10 \text{ m/s}^2g=10 m/s2.
Calculate:
(i) the kinetic energy of the ball as it leaves the launcher.
(ii) the maximum possible height that the ball can reach.
The actual height reached by the ball is less than the value calculated in (a)(ii).
(i) Explain, in terms of the forces acting on the ball, why this is so.
(ii) As the ball rises through the air, its kinetic energy decreases. State what happens to this energy.
533 exam-style questions on CIE IGCSE Physics 1.7 Energy, work and power, covering 1.7.1a Energy stores and energy transfers, 1.7.1b Conservation of energy, 1.7.1c Kinetic and gravitational potential energy, 1.7.2 Work done, 1.7.3 Energy resources, 1.7.3a Energy resources and electricity generation, 1.7.3b Nuclear fusion as an energy source, 1.7.3c Efficiency of energy transfer, and 1.7.4 Power. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.