Solving "An Person Pushes a Box Up a Hill: A Physics Problem

In summary, a person is trying to push a box up a 30 degree inclined hill with a force of 450N. After resolving all forces into components and adding them, the person gets an acceleration of 16.6 ms^-2, which is confirmed to be correct. However, the given answer is 1.9 ms^-2.
  • #1
danago
Gold Member
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Hey. I've been given this problem:

"An person wishes to push a box up a hill, inclined at 30 degrees. He is able to push with a force of 450N. If the box has a mass of 20kg, and a force of friction with magnitude 20N applies, what is the acceleration of the box?"

I drew a diagram, and came up with this:
http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/1124/incplaneob0.gif

What i did was resolve all of the forces into their components (parallel and perpendicular to the slope), including the weight and normal force, and then add them all.

I got an answer of 16.6 [tex]ms^-2[/tex], but apparently the answer is 1.9 [tex]ms^-2[/tex]. Would someone be able to maybe quickly work it out, and tell me what the real answer is?

Thanks very much,
Dan.
 
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  • #2
(450-20-20*9.81*sin(30))/20 = 16.595, so you should be correct. The box should have an acceleration plenty over 1.9 m/s2 even if the hill was vertical.
 
  • #3
ok thanks for confirming that :-)
 

1. What is the formula for calculating the force required to push a box up a hill?

The formula for calculating the force required to push a box up a hill is F = mg*sinθ, where F is the force, m is the mass of the box, g is the gravitational acceleration, and θ is the angle of the hill.

2. How does the angle of the hill affect the force required to push the box?

The angle of the hill directly affects the force required to push the box. The steeper the angle, the greater the force needed to overcome the gravitational force pulling the box down the hill.

3. How does the weight of the box affect the force required to push it up the hill?

The weight of the box, or its mass, is a crucial factor in calculating the force required to push it up the hill. A heavier box will require a greater force to overcome the gravitational force pulling it down the hill.

4. What other factors besides the weight of the box and the angle of the hill should be considered when solving this problem?

Other factors that should be considered include the coefficient of friction between the box and the ground, the force of friction acting on the box, and the speed at which the box is being pushed up the hill.

5. How can this problem be applied to real-life situations?

This problem can be applied to real-life situations in which a person needs to push or pull an object up an incline, such as pushing a cart up a hill or pulling a suitcase up a ramp. Understanding the physics behind this problem can help individuals to use less force and conserve their energy while completing these tasks.

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