Average Power Dissipated by Braking – Rankers Physics
Topic: Work Energy and Power
Subtopic: Power

Average Power Dissipated by Braking

A car of mass \(1000\text{ kg}\) moving at \(20\text{ m/s}\) is brought to rest in \(5\text{ s}\). The average power dissipated due to braking is
\(20\text{ kW}\)
\(10\text{ kW}\)
\(40\text{ kW}\)
\(50\text{ kW}\)

Solution:

The initial kinetic energy of the car is \(K_i = \frac{1}{2}mv^2 = \frac{1}{2}(1000)(20)^2 = 2 \times 10^5\text{ J}\) and final kinetic energy is zero. Average power dissipated is the work done divided by time: \(P = \frac{\Delta K}{t} = \frac{2 \times 10^5\text{ J}}{5\text{ s}} = 40\text{ kW}\).

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