Name________________________________Class____________________Date____________________

Quick Lab

DATASHEET

Power Output
MATERIALS

For each group

meterstick
scale
stairs
stopwatch
PROCEDURE

1. Use a scale to determine your weight in newtons. If your scale measures in

pounds, multiply your mass in kilograms by 4.45 N/lb. Record your answers in
the data table.
Data Table
Weight
or mass
(lb or kg)

Weig
ht (N)

Time to
go up
stairs
(s)

Stair
heigh
t (m)

Numbe
r of
stairs

Total
stair
height
(m)

Wor
k (J)

Pow
er
(W)

You
Your
partner

2. With a classmate, use a stopwatch to time how long each of you takes to walk
quickly up the stairs. Record your results.
3. Use a meterstick to measure the height of one stop in meters. Multiply by the
number of steps to calculate the height of the stairway.
4. Multiply your weight in newtons by the height of the stairs in meters to get the
work that you did in joules.
5. To express your power in watts, divide the work done in joules by the time in
seconds that it took you to climb the stairs.

Original content Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.

Holt Science Spectrum

51

Work and Energy

Name________________________________Class____________________Date____________________

Power Output continued

ANALYSIS

1. How would your power output change if you walked up the stairs faster?
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2. What would your power output be if you climbed the stairs in the same
amount of time while carrying a stack of books weighing 20 N?
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3. Why did you use your weight as the force in the work equation?
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Original content Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Additions and changes to the original content are the responsibility of the instructor.

Holt Science Spectrum

52

Work and Energy