Find the normal force on an inclined plane.

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the normal force acting on a mass placed on an inclined plane, specifically a 5kg mass on a 30-degree incline.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster expresses uncertainty about whether to use sine or cosine when calculating the normal force. They mention difficulty in visualizing the angle perpendicular to the plane.
  • Some participants suggest visualizing the problem by considering a horizontal surface and drawing force diagrams to clarify the relationship between the angles and forces involved.

Discussion Status

Participants are exploring different interpretations of the problem and discussing visualization techniques. Guidance has been offered to help clarify the concepts, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

The original poster is struggling with visualizing the angles and the corresponding forces, which may indicate a need for further clarification on the geometry of inclined planes.

dirgenowitzki
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Homework Statement


Find the normal force acting on a mass of 5kg on an incline plane of 30 degrees.


Homework Equations


Fn = mgsin30 or mgcos30 ?


The Attempt at a Solution


I'm not sure if I use sin or cos when finding the normal force on an incline. I have trouble visualizing the angle perpendicular to the plane and moving the angles around.
 
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If the surface makes an angle θ to the horizontal, then the normal makes the same angle θ from the vertical. Does that help your visualizing?

If it's still unclear, think about a horizontal surface, so that θ is zero, and answer these questions:

1. What is the normal force when the surface is horizontal? Draw a force diagram for yourself, if you need to, to figure this out.

2. Does your answer to (1) agree with mgsin0 or mgcos0?

Hope that helps!
 
It works with mgsin theta, but when i try to draw it out it doesn't make sense to me.
 

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