Author: Atharva Satpute Date: 3/20/2020

Personal Power

Objective: To find out the magnitude of your personal power

Theory/research:
1. What is power?

Power is the rate at which work is done. It is also known as work done per unit time.

2. Write the formula associating energy with power

Power (Watts) = Work Done (Joules) ÷ time (seconds)

3. Write the formula associating the potential energy with height

Power (W) = (Mass (Kg) x Gravitational Acceleration(m/s/s) x Height(m)) ÷ time (s)

4. By substitution of the formula in question 3 for the formula in question 2, re-write

the formula for power

P = (m x g x h) ÷ T

5. What is the unit of power? Watts (W)

6. What is the value of the acceleration due to gravity? (g) 9.8 m/s/s

Apparatus:
Steps, ruler, scale, stop clock

Procedure:
1. Use the scale to find your mass (m). Convert your mass to kilograms
2. Use the ruler to find the average height (h) of one step
3. Check how many steps there are in the flight of stairs and then determine the total
vertical height involved
4. Run up the stairs while your partner simultaneously starts the stopwatch
5. Stop the clock when you arrive at the top of the stairs
6. Repeat the procedure in order to obtain two more values for the time (t) taken to
climb the stairs
7. Repeat the procedure at different rates e.g. walking and jogging

Note:
kg m 2
1 joule= 1 pound = 0.45kg
s2
Author: Atharva Satpute Date: 3/20/2020

Data collected:

Rates T1(s) T2(s) T3(s)

Walking 12.25 12.32 12.17
Running 3.44 3.33 3.54
Jogging 5.36 5.45 5.33

Average height of one step: 0.2m

Total number of steps: 16
Total vertical Height involved: 3.2m

Data Analysis:
1. What units must m, g, h and t be in if we want to calculate power in standard units?

m = kg
g = m/s/s
h=m

2. Use the formula from your theory/research to calculate power in standard units

P = (m x g x h) ÷ T P = (50kg x 9.8 m/s/s x 3.2m) ÷ 12.25 (average)

P= 128W (walking)
m = 50kg
g = 9.8 m/s/s
h = 3.2m

P = (m x g x h) ÷ T P = (50kg x 9.8 m/s/s x 3.2m) ÷ 3.44s (average)

P= 455.81W (running)
m = 50kg
g = 9.8 m/s/s
h = 3.2m

P = (m x g x h) ÷ T P = (50kg x 9.8 m/s/s x 3.2m) ÷ 5.38 (average)

P= 291.44W (jogging)
m = 50kg
g = 9.8 m/s/s
h = 3.2m

3. Convert your answers to kilowatts

128W Kw
128 ÷ 1000 = 0.128 Kw (Walking)

455.81W Kw
455.81 ÷ 1000 = 0.45581 Kw (Running)

291.44W Kw
Note:
kg m 2
1 joule= 1 pound = 0.45kg
s2
Author: Atharva Satpute Date: 3/20/2020

291.44 ÷ 1000 = 0.29144 Kw (Jogging)

4. Is the same amount of work done in walking and running up the stairs?

No, a change in speed of climbing stairs does not affect the amount of work done but
does affect the rate at which work is done

5. Is the rate of doing the work the same in both cases?

No, the reason for this is because a change in speed of climbing will affect the rate at
which work is done, which is why it Is not the same in all cases.

Conclusion:
The value of personal power was found to be 0.128 Kw (Walking), 0.45581 Kw
(Running), and 0.29144 Kw (Jogging). It was also discovered that Power is the rate
at which work is done, and is also known as work done per unit time. The formula
for power is P = (m x g x h) ÷ T.

Marking scheme A/I: /5

- Correctly manipulates the formula for power by substituting for kinetic energy /1
- Understands that a change in speed of climbing stairs does not affect the amount of work
done but does affect the rate at which work is done /2
- Makes a connection between the units that must be used in the calculation /1
- Carries out calculations correctly /1

Note:
kg m 2
1 joule= 1 pound = 0.45kg
s2