Calculating constant velocity using work

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a scenario where a boy pulls a toboggan up an inclined hill, requiring the calculation of the work done to maintain a constant velocity. The context includes forces acting on the toboggan, such as gravitational force and friction, as well as the need for a free body diagram (FBD).

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the forces acting on the toboggan, including gravitational and frictional forces, and the need to account for the applied force from the boy. There is a focus on the implications of pulling the toboggan at constant velocity and the resulting acceleration.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on reconsidering the acceleration and the inclusion of the pulling force in the force balance equation. The discussion reflects an ongoing exploration of the problem without reaching a definitive conclusion.

Contextual Notes

There is an emphasis on the importance of a free body diagram to visualize the forces involved, and participants express uncertainty about the next steps in the problem-solving process.

anonymous12
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Homework Statement


A 25.6-kg boy pulls a 4.81-kg toboggan up a hill inclined at 25.7º to the horizontal. The vertical height of the hill is 27.3 m and the coefficient of friction of the hill surface is 0.4
a) Determine how much work the boy must apply on the toboggan to pull it at a constant velocity up the hill? (Hint: An FBD is needed to see all your forces acting on te toboggan)

Homework Equations


W = F x ∆d
Eg = mgh
Ek = 0.5mv^2
vf^2 - vi^2 = 2a∆d

The Attempt at a Solution



-mgsin25.7º - \mu Kmgcos25.7º = m * a
-(30.41 x 9.8 x sin 25.7º) - (.4 x 30.41 x 9.8 x cos 25.7) = 30.41 * a
-129.24 - 106.46 = 30.41a
a = -7.75 m/s^2Calculating length of the hill:

\frac{27.3}{sin25.7º} = 62.95m

I don't really know what to do after this.
 
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anonymous12 said:

Homework Statement


A 25.6-kg boy pulls a 4.81-kg toboggan up a hill inclined at 25.7º to the horizontal. The vertical height of the hill is 27.3 m and the coefficient of friction of the hill surface is 0.4
a) Determine how much work the boy must apply on the toboggan to pull it at a constant velocity up the hill? (Hint: An FBD is needed to see all your forces acting on te toboggan)

Homework Equations


W = F x ∆d
Eg = mgh
Ek = 0.5mv^2
vf^2 - vi^2 = 2a∆d

The Attempt at a Solution



-mgsin25.7º - \mu Kmgcos25.7º = m * a
-(30.41 x 9.8 x sin 25.7º) - (.4 x 30.41 x 9.8 x cos 25.7) = 30.41 * a
-129.24 - 106.46 = 30.41a
a = -7.75 m/s^2Calculating length of the hill:

\frac{27.3}{sin25.7º} = 62.95m

I don't really know what to do after this.

If the boy is pulling the toboggan up the hill at a constant speed, then what must the acceleration be equal to? Hint: your mistake was that you forgot one of the forces in the force balance equation: the applied force from the boy!
 
Last edited:
The reply above is spot on.

reconsider your acceleration and add the pulling force from the boy.
 
Ooooh thank you! I feel like an idiot now :(:
 

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