Help glider on an airtrack problem

[physics_challenged]

Help...glider on an airtrack problem

In the physics laboratory, a glider is released from rest on a frictionless air track inclined at an angle similar to the one shown in the figure below . If the glider has gained a speed of 24 cm/s in traveling 50 cm from the starting point, what was the angle of inclination of the track?

Ok, what I have done is I figured out the acceleration to be 5.76. Would that be correct? And now I am having trouble trying to get the angle...I am not sure what to do. Please help.

 

[Ba]

5.76 cm/s^2 is the acceleration if the speed is the ending speed not the speed over time. The way I would find the angle from there is to find the weight of the glider and use the force of gravity and the horizontal force to get the angle using a tangent

 

[Doc Al]

Ok, what I have done is I figured out the acceleration to be 5.76.

Right, the acceleration is 5.76 cm/s^2 (or 0.0576 m/s^2).

And now I am having trouble trying to get the angle...I am not sure what to do.

What's the component of the weight along the track? (Draw a diagram; express the force along the track in terms of the angle--using a little trig.) Then apply F = ma, using what you calculated as the acceleration along the track. Then solve for the angle.