Solving Work Needed to Push 1147kg Car Up 15.1o Incline

In summary, Daniel is trying to calculate the work done by friction against a car which is climbing an incline. He calculates the work done by friction as (coeff. friction)(mass)(376), but he is wrong. He should use the work done by gravity and the normal force N together.
  • #1
Jayhawk1
44
0
I am having a lot of trouble with this problem:

What is the minimum work needed to push a 1147 kg car 376 m up a 15.1o incline if the effective coefficient of friction is 0.23?

I thought that it was (m)(.23)(sin 15.1)(376) but that isn't right. Any help would be appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Nope,my guess is that it should encompass a "cosine".So what is the force up against whom u have to do work...?

Daniel.
 
  • #3
So it should be (m)(.23)(cos15.1)(376)? ...for some reason I though the coeff. of friction incorporated the angle... am I wrong in assuming this?
 
  • #4
Just use the work energy theorem.
[tex] \Delta W = \Delta E_g + \Delta E_f + \Delta E_s [/tex]

Draw a free body diagram first, it will help you.

Regards,

Nenad
 
  • #5
There are 2 forces agains which work needs to be performed:gravity & friction force...
You have found the one for gravity (it should be with a minus) and u need to add to it the work performed by friction force.

Daniel.
 
  • #6
Suppose the x-axis is along the incline and y-axis is perpendicular to this surface...


We have 3 fources on the object : gravity, friction[tex]{\mu}{\vec N}[/tex]
, normal force N

So along the x-axis we have :

[tex]F_x = -mgsin(\theta) - {\mu}N [/tex]

Along the y-axis we have :


[tex]F_y = 0 = -mgcos(\theta) + N[/tex]



Now, you can calculate N from the second equation and then plug it into the first one. Now you know everything along the incline (x-axis). So just fill in the numbers and multiply this by the distance that is travelled.

regards
marlon
 
  • #7
So for the component of force due to friction it is (coeff. friction)(mass)(376)?
 
Last edited:
  • #8
dextercioby said:
There are 2 forces agains which work needs to be performed:gravity & friction force...
You have found the one for gravity (it should be with a minus) and u need to add to it the work performed by friction force.

Daniel.

Wrong, besides you confused the OP, when you started about "encompassing" a cosine...his formula was initially correct for the gravity-part.

marlon
 
  • #9
Jayhawk1 said:
So for the component of force due to friction it is (coeff. friction)(mass)(376)?

Nope, read my post...

it is (coeff friction)(NORMAL FORCE) for the formula of the friction force along the incline. Beware of the minus-sign. Then multiply this by 376 to get the work done...

I showed you how to calculate the normal force N

marlon
 
  • #10
What's wrong in my statement that u quoted...? :

Daniel.
 
  • #11
dextercioby said:
What's wrong in my statement that u quoted...? :

Daniel.

Look at post number 3 !

marlon
 
  • #12
You said "wrong" when u quoted something right,isn't that so...?:tongue2:

Marlon,what can i say more...?:yuck:

Daniel.
 
  • #13
dextercioby said:
You said "wrong" when u quoted something right,isn't that so...?:tongue2:

Marlon,what can i say more...?:yuck:

Daniel.

Please, stop being such a big baby about this. You know very well you are wrong. Now, you don't have to admit it to me, but just stop posting useless answers just to have the last word.

marlon

Stick to the facts
 
  • #14
[tex]F_x = -mgsin(\theta) - {\mu}mgcos(\theta) [/tex]

I just replaced N with the second equation. Now for the work, you can omit the minus-signs

Fill in the numbers and multiply by the traveled distance and you are done. ps disregard dexter's posts because they are erronuous...

marlon
 
Last edited:

1. How do you calculate the work needed to push a car up an incline?

To calculate the work needed to push a car up an incline, we use the equation W = mgh, where W is the work, m is the mass of the car, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and h is the height of the incline.

2. What does the angle of the incline have to do with the work needed to push the car?

The angle of the incline affects the work needed to push the car because it determines the height of the incline. The higher the incline, the more work is needed to push the car up.

3. What units are used to measure the work needed to push the car?

The work needed to push the car up an incline is measured in joules (J), which is a unit of energy in the International System of Units (SI).

4. Can you use this equation to calculate the work needed to push any object up an incline?

Yes, you can use this equation to calculate the work needed to push any object up an incline. However, you may need to adjust the units used for mass and height to match the units used in the equation.

5. Is there a way to reduce the work needed to push the car up an incline?

Yes, there are a few ways to reduce the work needed to push the car up an incline. One way is to decrease the mass of the car, which will decrease the overall work needed. Another way is to decrease the angle of the incline, which will decrease the height and therefore the work needed. Lastly, using a ramp or other mechanical advantage can also reduce the amount of work needed to push the car up an incline.

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