The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a rock traveling up a sloped hill. The rock has an initial speed of 16 m/s and the hill has a slope of 23 degrees. Participants are exploring how to calculate the distance the rock travels up the hill, considering energy conservation principles.
The discussion is active, with participants sharing their thoughts on the problem setup and the equations involved. Some guidance has been offered regarding the need to calculate kinetic energy and the implications of the slope angle, but there is no explicit consensus on the correct approach yet.
Participants note that the hill is frictionless, which may influence the calculations. There is also an emphasis on correctly interpreting the question regarding the distance traveled along the slope versus vertical ascent.
eglaud said:Homework Statement
A rock approaches the foot of a hill with a speed of 16 m/s. The hill has a slope of 23 degrees, how far up the hill does the rock travel?
Homework Equations
KE = PE
The Attempt at a Solution
I tried mv2/2 = mgy but I know this isn't right since I don't use theta at all. What do I do to change this?
RedDelicious said:Have you drawn a picture?
eglaud said:how far up the hill does the rock travel?
Presumably your y is the vertical ascent, but I don't think that is quite what the question is asking for.eglaud said:mv2/2 = mgy
I think eglaud understands that but has not interpreted the question correctly. See my post #6.AgusCF said:Hello everybody. Sorry for my english. I am not native. I think you must calculate de kinetic Energy at the bottom of the hill. Then, you must calculate the position (dependent with the angle) at the velocity is 0 m/s.
Ouch! Yeap you are right! And I think that the problem wants to calculate the distance that the rock goes up on the lateral of the hill.haruspex said:I think eglaud understands that but has not interpreted the question correctly. See my post #6.