The discussion revolves around the deceleration of rocks sliding up a hill, focusing on the forces acting on the rocks and the components of acceleration involved in the scenario.
There is an ongoing examination of the problem's setup, including potential ambiguities in terminology and directionality of forces. Some participants have suggested drawing a free body diagram (FBD) to clarify the situation, while others are questioning the accuracy of the given answer.
Participants note that the problem lacks clarity regarding the definition of "base" and the positive direction for acceleration, which could lead to different interpretations of the results.
Yes. Do as they suggest and draw a FBD. That will help you to resolve the components.jamiebean said:
Unless by "base" they mean the top of the hill? That would usually be referred to as the "top" or "crest" of the hill, not the "base", IMO... Is there a diagram that goes with this problem?berkeman said:
One one hand, the question does not specify whether the positive direction is uphill or downhill so the number for the acceleration can have either sign. On the other hand, the question may have adopted the convention that "positive" means "in the direction of the velocity" which means the number must be negative. The question would have no ambiguity if it asked for the magnitude or if it specified which way is positive.berkeman said: