Lighthouse Initiative for Texas Classrooms

Running the Stairs

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  1. Record the height of the stairs:
  2. Run up the stairs, touching every step, and record your time:
  3. Find your mass in kilograms (1 kg weighs 2.2lbs):
  4. How much net work did you do horizontally as you climbed the stairs? Explain.
  5. Find the amount of work you did against gravity. Show your work below.
  6. What is your potential energy (relative to the ground) at the top of the stairs?
  7. What is your potential energy relative to the first landing when you are at the top of the stairs?
  8. How much work did you do against gravity from the first landing to the top of the stairs?
  9. What is your average power in Watts as you climbed the stairs?
  10. If you accidentally fell off the top of the stairs and fell straight to the ground,
    1. what would be your kinetic energy just before you hit the ground?
    2. what would be your speed just before you hit the ground?
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