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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 p... 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 look for the steepest slope on the velocity-time graph. Acceleration is represented by the gradient (slope) of the graph. In this case, the slopes are:
- At point P: the slope is quite steep.
- At point Q: the slope begins to flatten out.
- At point R: the slope continues to flatten.
- At point S: the slope is nearly horizontal.
Since point P shows the steepest slope, it indicates the largest acceleration. Therefore, I would put a cross (X) next to option A (P).
Step 2
Estimate the distance that the parachutist falls in the first 2.5 s.
Answer
To calculate the distance fallen in the first 2.5 seconds, we can use the area under the velocity-time graph over the interval from 0 to 2.5 seconds.
From the graph, at 2.5 seconds, the velocity appears to be around 12.5 m/s. The velocity increases approximately linearly from 0 m/s to about 12.5 m/s:
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The average velocity during this time can be calculated:
ext{Average Velocity} = rac{ ext{Initial Velocity} + ext{Final Velocity}}{2} = rac{0 ext{ m/s} + 12.5 ext{ m/s}}{2} = 6.25 ext{ m/s}
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The distance fallen can then be estimated using the formula:
Therefore, the parachutist falls approximately 15.6 meters in the first 2.5 seconds.