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A free-fall parachutist is falling straight down - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 5
A free-fall parachutist is falling straight down. This is a velocity/time graph of the first part of the jump, before the parachute is opened. (a) Which of these po... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A free-fall parachutist is falling straight down - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 5 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of these points on the graph shows the largest acceleration?
Answer
To determine which point shows the largest acceleration, we need to examine the slope of the velocity-time graph. The acceleration is represented by the gradient (slope) of the graph. In this case:
- Point A (0 to 5s): The slope is increasing but is mild.
- Point B (5 to 10s): The slope is getting steeper, indicating increasing acceleration.
- Point C (10 to 15s): The graph begins to plateau, indicating lesser acceleration.
- Point D (15 to 30s): The slope is almost horizontal, indicating very low or no acceleration.
Thus, point B (Q) shows the largest acceleration, and the answer is B.
Step 2
Estimate the distance that the parachutist falls in the first 2.5 s.
Answer
To estimate the distance fallen, we refer to the velocity-time graph. In the first 2.5 seconds (between points A and up to point B), we can calculate the distance as the area under the curve. The velocity at 2.5 seconds is approximately 12.5 m/s. Assuming constant acceleration:
The formula for distance is: Where:
- = distance,
- = average velocity,
- = time.
The average velocity for the first 2.5 seconds is approximately: Thus, the estimated distance is: Therefore, the parachutist falls approximately 16 meters in the first 2.5 seconds.