A cart starts at rest and moves freely down a ramp without friction or air resistance and descends 8 meters vertically, what is its speed at the bottom?

We apply energy conservation. At the start the cart has only gravitational potential energy given by mgh where m is its mass, g is the gravitational field, h = 8m is the height. At the end the cart has only kinetic energy mv^2/2 where v is its speed. By conservation of energy mgh = mv^2/2, so v^2=2gh= 29.88 m^2 s^-2=156.8 m^2 s^-2 so taking the square root, v = 12.5 m s^-1.

JT
Answered by Joshua T. Physics tutor

1515 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Define Newtons law of Gravitation (in words or an equation).


Describe how the strong nuclear force between two nucleons varies with the separation of the nucleons, quoting suitable values for separation.


Why are values of gravitational potential negative?


Derive the Drift Velocity Equation


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning