Work & energy worksheet with answers

Free printable Work & energy worksheet: 6 problems from easy to exam level, with an answer key. Print it or save it as a PDF.

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1.Easy
m = 10 kggh = 34 m

A 10 kg ball is dropped from rest from a height of 34 m. Ignore air resistance. Find its speed v just before it hits the ground.

m = 10 kgh = 34 mg = 9.81 m/s²
v = m/s
2.Easy
m = 0.5 kggh = 41 m

A 0.5 kg ball is dropped from rest from a height of 41 m. Ignore air resistance. Find its speed v just before it hits the ground.

m = 0.5 kgh = 41 mg = 9.81 m/s²
v = m/s
3.Medium
0.05 kgk = 1500 N/mh = ?

A toy launcher has a vertical spring of stiffness 1500 N/m. A 0.05 kg ball is placed on it and the spring is compressed by 4 cm, then released. Ignoring air resistance and the spring’s mass, find the height h the ball rises, measured from its position when the spring was compressed.

m = 0.05 kgk = 1500 N/mx = 4 cmg = 9.81 m/s²
h = m
4.Medium
50 km/h

A car travelling at 50 km/h on a level road brakes hard and skids to a stop with its wheels locked. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the tyres and the road is 0.6. Find the stopping distance d.

v = 50 km/hμ = 0.6g = 9.81 m/s²
d = m
5.Hard
k = 1000 N/m15°μ = 0.33 kg

A spring of stiffness 1000 N/m at the bottom of a 15° slope is compressed by 10 cm against a 3 kg block and released. The coefficient of kinetic friction between block and slope is 0.3. How far d up the slope does the block travel from the release point before it stops? (Ignore the short distance over which the spring pushes, i.e. take friction and gravity over the whole distance d.)

m = 3 kgk = 1000 N/mx = 10 cmθ = 15°μ = 0.3g = 9.81 m/s²
d = m
6.Hard
h = 4.5 mL = 2 mμ = 0.2k = 5000 N/m

A 5 kg block is released from rest at height 4.5 m on a smooth ramp. At the bottom it crosses a rough horizontal strip 2 m long (μ = 0.2) and then runs onto a spring (k = 5000 N/m) on a smooth surface. Find the maximum compression x of the spring.

m = 5 kgh = 4.5 mL = 2 mμ = 0.2k = 5000 N/mg = 9.81 m/s²
x = cm

Answer key

  1. 1. v = 25.83 m/s
  2. 2. v = 28.36 m/s
  3. 3. h = 2.446 m
  4. 4. d = 16.39 m
  5. 5. d = 0.3097 m
  6. 6. x = 28.36 cm

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