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Kangaroos are large animals that travel by jumping - AQA - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 7 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 7
Kangaroos are large animals that travel by jumping. Figure 8 shows a kangaroo. Each leg of a kangaroo has a tendon connected to a muscle. Each tendon can be modell... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Kangaroos are large animals that travel by jumping - AQA - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 7 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
Explain why a kangaroo can jump higher as its speed increases.
Answer
As the speed of the kangaroo increases, the kinetic energy that the kangaroo possesses right before take-off also increases. This increase in kinetic energy allows more force to be exerted through the tendons when they stretch.
The elastic potential energy stored in the tendons can convert this energy into upward motion (gravitational potential energy) when the kangaroo jumps. Consequently, with greater speed, the tendons can stretch more, storing more energy, leading to a higher jump as a result.