Calculating Wood Friction on Metal: Solving for Time

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the time it takes for a piece of wood to slide down a metal surface inclined at 25 degrees, with a given coefficient of friction of 0.34. The original poster presents their equations and attempts to analyze the forces acting on the wood.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply kinematic equations and Newton's laws to find the acceleration and time. They express uncertainty about their calculations and the components of forces acting on the wood.

Discussion Status

Some participants have prompted the original poster to clarify the components of the wood's weight and the forces involved. There is an ongoing exploration of the relationships between the forces, but no consensus has been reached regarding the correct approach or solution.

Contextual Notes

The original poster mentions having made previous calculation errors and expresses confusion about the results obtained, indicating a need for further clarification on the physics involved.

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Homework Statement


You place a piece of wood onto a 227cm long piece of metal on a 25 angle. The [tex]\mu[/tex]=.34 How long does it take for the piece of wood to reach the bottom of the metal?

Homework Equations


[tex]\Delta[/tex]X=227
Vi=0
a=?
t=?

[tex]\Delta[/tex]X=ViT+.5at^2
227=.5at^2

a=Fnet/m
[tex]\mu[/tex]=Ff/Fn

The Attempt at a Solution


I have 2 pages of work for this problem and it's obvious to me that I'm missing something crucial. I tried this problem a few times, the first time I calculated the wrong [tex]\mu[/tex] and the second time I have no idea what happened

I can't reproduce my free body diagram for you but I can tell you what I broke the components down into:
Fg=y'/sin25
Fg=x'/cos25
 
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You need to find the acceleration. To do that, you'll need the net force and Newton's 2nd law.

Try to give symbolic answers (not numbers) to these questions:

What are the components of the wood's weight parallel and perpendicular to the incline?

What's the normal force between the surfaces?

What's the friction force acting on the wood?

What's the net force acting on the wood?
 
Thats what I ended up doing but my answer came out to be 9.7 seconds, which is extremely wrong.

If I leave a as Fnet/m I end up with T=sqrt(454m/Fnet) So then I need to solve for Fnet in a way in which m cancels out (thats what my teacher said atleast). So Fnet=Fn-Ff
Fg=Ff/sin25
Fg=Fn/cos25

Fn=Fgcos25
Ff=Fgsin25

EDIT: Just worked it out that way and got the same answer 9.6 seconds... which is horribly wrong... any ideas?
 
Last edited:
Why don't you try answering my questions?
 

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