Friction Problems Involving Force Vectors.

[AegisFang]

Homework Statement

The following link is a rough sketch of what I need help with, followed by the directions.http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...nt=Physics.png be sure it's zoomed in. The information provided is the following.
"The Block shown in (a) slides with constant speed under the action of the force shown.

(a) How large is the retarding friction force?
(b) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the floor?

Homework Equations

Fwx=Ff

Fwy=Fn

The Attempt at a Solution

Blarg...No idea where to even start.

 

[cristo]

The link to the image in your post doesn't work.

 

[m2003]

I would first start by identifying all the known information in the problem. We know that the block is sliding with constant speed, so we can assume that the net force acting on the block is zero. We also know that the force shown in the diagram is the only force acting on the block.

Next, I would draw a free body diagram of the block to visualize the forces acting on it. From the diagram, we can see that there is a horizontal component of the force acting in the x-direction and a vertical component of the force acting in the y-direction.

To find the retarding friction force, we can use the equation Fwx = Ff, where Fwx is the horizontal component of the force and Ff is the friction force. We know that Fwx is 15 N, so we can solve for Ff.

To find the coefficient of kinetic friction, we can use the equation Fwy = Fn, where Fwy is the vertical component of the force and Fn is the normal force. We know that Fwy is 10 N, so we can solve for Fn. Once we have Fn, we can use the equation Ff = μFn, where μ is the coefficient of kinetic friction. Solving for μ will give us the value of the coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the floor.

I hope this helps with your problem. Remember to always start by identifying the known information and drawing a free body diagram. From there, you can use the appropriate equations to solve for the unknowns.