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A child drops a ball - AQA - GCSE Physics - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 1
A child drops a ball. The ball hits the ground and bounces. Figure 1 shows the velocity-time graph for the ball from when the ball is dropped until when the ball re... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A child drops a ball - AQA - GCSE Physics - Question 1 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe the motion of the ball between points A and B on Figure 1.
Answer
Between points A and B, the ball undergoes uniform acceleration as it falls. The velocity of the ball increases steadily until it impacts the ground at point B. This consistent acceleration indicates that the ball's speed is increasing at a constant rate.
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Explain how the data in Figure 1 shows this energy transfer.
Answer
When the ball hits the ground, its velocity just after the bounce is lower than just before the bounce, indicating that it has lost kinetic energy. The height it reaches after the bounce is also less than the height from which it was dropped; thus, the ball has lost energy. This energy loss is transferred to the Earth, showing that energy from the ball is converted to gravitational potential energy in the Earth. Overall, the data demonstrates a decrease in velocity and energy, indicating the transfer of energy from the ball to the Earth during the impact.