Calculating Friction Force of a 4000 kg Truck on a 15° Slope

[kdb004]

Homework Statement

A 4000 kg truck is parked on a 15 degree slope. what is its friction force?

please show work, i'd like to understand how to do this problem


*** my college professor doesn't really teach in class, well let me take that back. he teaches some things but leaves us hangin out to dry for pretty much everything else so pretty much everyone resorts to using online help like this***

 

[iRaid]

Well you should start by drawing a FBD of the truck on an incline and go on from there.

 

[kdb004]

ya, I am not going to lie. i don't even know how to do that.

 

[kdb004]

Well you should start by drawing a FBD of the truck on an incline and go on from there.

ya i don't really know how to do that

 

[rwisz]

I understand the frustration of not receiving proper instruction from a professor. I am happy to help you with this problem and explain the steps involved in calculating the friction force on the truck.

First, we need to understand the concept of friction force. Friction force is the force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact with each other. In this case, the truck is parked on a slope, so the force of gravity is pulling it downhill. The friction force will act in the opposite direction, preventing the truck from sliding down the slope.

To calculate the friction force, we will use the formula F = μN, where F is the friction force, μ is the coefficient of friction, and N is the normal force. The coefficient of friction is a constant that depends on the nature of the surfaces in contact. In this case, we will assume a coefficient of friction of 0.6, which is a reasonable estimate for a truck on a road surface.

The normal force is the force exerted by the surface on the truck, perpendicular to the surface. In this case, the normal force will be equal to the weight of the truck, which can be calculated using the formula W = mg, where m is the mass of the truck and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2).

Now, let's plug in the values into the formula: F = μN = μmg = (0.6)(4000 kg)(9.8 m/s^2) = 23520 N.

So the friction force acting on the truck is 23520 N. This means that the truck would need a force greater than 23520 N in order to start moving down the slope. I hope this explanation helps you understand the process of calculating friction force. Let me know if you have any further questions.