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Is the "easy" trail on Bristol Mountain really for beginners?

Bristol Mountain is a ski area just a short drive away from Rochester.

The vertical drop from the summit point "B" to the base is about 1200 feet. The easiest way down is the combination of trails Milky Way, to Eclipse, to Infinity, which has a total length of about 2 miles.

  1. Pretend that those trails were laid out in a single straight line, at a constant slope. What would the angle of the slope be?
  2. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between ski and snow is μ = 0.05 , what would the acceleration of a skier be along this slope?
  3. What would the final speed of a skier be when she reached the bottom of the mountain? Express in miles per hour.
  4. Is this REALLY a trail for beginners? Explain.

Creative Commons License Copyright © Michael Richmond. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.