Figure 8-17 shows a water-slide ride in which a glider is shot by a spring along a water-drenched

(frictionless) track that takes the glider from a horizontal section down to ground level.As the glider then
moves along ground-level track, it is gradually brought to rest by friction. The total mass of the glider
and its rider is m ! 200 kg, the initial compression of the spring is d ! 5.00 m, the spring constant is k !
3.20 ' 103 N/m, the initial height is h ! 35.0 m, and the coefficient of kinetic friction along the ground-
level track is mk ! 0.800. Through what distance L does the glider slide along the ground-level track until
it stops? KEY IDEAS Before we touch a calculator and start plugging numbers into equations, we need to
examine all the forces and then determine what our system should be. Only then can we decide what
equation to write. Do we have an isolated system (our equation would be for the conservation of
energy) or a system on which an external force does work (our equation would relate that work to the
system’s change in energy)? Forces: The normal force on the glider from the track does no work on the
glider because the direction of this force is always perpendicular to the direction of the glider’s
displacement. The gravitational force does work on the glider, and because the force is conservative we
can associate a potential energy with it. As the spring pushes spring and the gravitational potential
energy (Ug ! mgy) asL mk m ! 0 k h Figure 8-17 A spring-loaded amusement park water slide. sociated
with the glider’s elevation. For the latter, let’s take ground level as the reference level. That means that
the glider is initially at height y ! h and finally at height y ! 0. In the initial state, with the glider stationary
and elevated and the spring compressed, the energy is Emec,1 ! K1 " Ue1 " Ug1 ! 0 " kd2 "
mgh(frictionless) track that takes the glider from a horizontal section down to ground level.As the glider
then moves along ground-level track, it is gradually brought to rest by friction. The total mass of the
glider and its rider is m ! 200 kg, the initial compression of the spring is d ! 5.00 m, the spring constant is
k ! 3.20 ' 103 N/m, the initial height is h ! 35.0 m, and the coefficient of kinetic friction along the ground-
level track is mk ! 0.800. Through what distance L does the glider slide along the ground-level track until
it stops? KEY IDEAS Before we touch a calculator and start plugging numbers into equations, we need to
examine all the forces and then determine what our system should be. Only then can we decide what
equation to write. Do we have an isolated system (our equation would be for the conservation of
energy) or a system on which an external force does work (our equation would relate that work to the
system’s change in energy)? Forces: The normal force on the glider from the track does no work on the
glider because the direction of this force is always perpendicular to the direction of the glider’s
displacement. The gravitational force does work on the glider, and because the force is conservative we
can associate a potential energy with it. As the spring pushes spring and the gravitational potential
energy (Ug ! mgy) asL mk m ! 0 k h Figure 8-17 A spring-loaded amusement park water slide. sociated
with the glider’s elevation. For the latter, let’s take ground level as the reference level. That means that
the glider is initially at height y ! h and finally at height y ! 0. In the initial state, with the glider stationary
and elevated and the spring compressed, the energy is Emec,1 ! K1 " Ue1 " Ug1 ! 0 " kd2 "
mgh(frictionless) track that takes the glider from a horizontal section down to ground level.As the glider
then moves along ground-level track, it is gradually brought to rest by friction. The total mass of the
glider and its rider is m ! 200 kg, the initial compression of the spring is d ! 5.00 m, the spring constant is
k ! 3.20 ' 103 N/m, the initial height is h ! 35.0 m, and the coefficient of kinetic friction along the ground-
level track is mk ! 0.800. Through what distance L does the glider slide along the ground-level track until
it stops? KEY IDEAS Before we touch a calculator and start plugging numbers into equations, we need to
examine all the forces and then determine what our system should be. Only then can we decide what
equation to write. Do we have an isolated system (our equation would be for the conservation of
energy) or a system on which an external force does work (our equation would relate that work to the
system’s change in energy)? Forces: The normal force on the glider from the track does no work on the
glider because the direction of this force is always perpendicular to the direction of the glider’s
displacement. The gravitational force does work on the glider, and because the force is conservative we
can associate a potential energy with it. As the spring pushes spring and the gravitational potential
energy (Ug ! mgy) asL mk m ! 0 k h Figure 8-17 A spring-loaded amusement park water slide. sociated
with the glider’s elevation. For the latter, let’s take ground level as the reference level. That means that
the glider is initially at height y ! h and finally at height y ! 0. In the initial state, with the glider stationary
and elevated and the spring compressed, the energy is Emec,1 ! K1 " Ue1 " Ug1 ! 0 " kd2 "
mgh(frictionless) track that takes the glider from a horizontal section down to ground level.As the glider
then moves along ground-level track, it is gradually brought to rest by friction. The total mass of the
glider and its rider is m ! 200 kg, the initial compression of the spring is d ! 5.00 m, the spring constant is
k ! 3.20 ' 103 N/m, the initial height is h ! 35.0 m, and the coefficient of kinetic friction along the ground-
level track is mk ! 0.800. Through what distance L does the glider slide along the ground-level track until
it stops? KEY IDEAS Before we touch a calculator and start plugging numbers into equations, we need to
examine all the forces and then determine what our system should be. Only then can we decide what
equation to write. Do we have an isolated system (our equation would be for the conservation of
energy) or a system on which an external force does work (our equation would relate that work to the
system’s change in energy)? Forces: The normal force on the glider from the track does no work on the
glider because the direction of this force is always perpendicular to the direction of the glider’s
displacement. The gravitational force does work on the glider, and because the force is conservative we
can associate a potential energy with it. As the spring pushes spring and the gravitational potential
energy (Ug ! mgy) asL mk m ! 0 k h Figure 8-17 A spring-loaded amusement park water slide. sociated
with the glider’s elevation. For the latter, let’s take ground level as the reference level. That means that
the glider is initially at height y ! h and finally at height y ! 0. In the initial state, with the glider stationary
and elevated and the spring compressed, the energy is Emec,1 ! K1 " Ue1 " Ug1 ! 0 " kd2 " mgh