The force diagram shows an aircraft accelerating. At the instant shown, the velocity of the aircraft is 40 m s-1.

Q#31 (Past Exam Paper – March 2016 Paper 12 Q15)

The force diagram shows an aircraft accelerating. At the instant shown, the velocity of the aircraft is 40 m s-1.




At which rate is its kinetic energy increasing?
2.4 MW                    8.0 MW                    12 MW                     20 MW



Solution:
Answer: C.

The ‘rate of increase of kinetic energy’ has unit J/s. This is the unit for power.

The forward acceleration is due to a resultant force horizontally.

Horizontally, resultant force = engine thrust – air resistance

Resultant force = 500 – 200 = 300 kN


Power = Force × velocity
Power = 300 000 × 40 = 12 000 000 W

Power = 12 MW

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