Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 8 - Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy - Questions - Page 201: 8b

Answer

The stopping distance will be equal to D.

Work Step by Step

Increasing the mass of the block does not change how fast it will travel or how much distance it takes to slow it down. The equations for potential and kinetic energy both include mass, so it is canceled out when calculating the mechanical energy. This means that the heavy block will travel the same speed as the less massive block. The same speed means the same stopping time.
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