Find the work done on a box on an inclined plane

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SUMMARY

The work done on a box by a constant force of 85.0 N, applied at an angle of 53.0° on a frictionless ramp, is calculated using the formula for work, W = F dot D. The vertical distance moved by the box is 0.45 m. The correct calculation reveals that the work done is 17.658 J, which corresponds to the increase in potential energy of the box, calculated as m*g*h, where m is the mass (4.0 kg) and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²).

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Homework Statement



a constant force Fa of magnitude 85.0 N is applied to a 4.0 kg shoe box at angle φ = 53.0°, causing the box to move up a frictionless ramp at constant speed. How much work is done on the box by Fa when the box has moved through vertical distance h = 0.45 m?

heres the picture to explain where the phi comes from http://edugen.wiley.com/edugen/courses/crs1650/art/qb/qu/c07/pict_7_32.gif

Homework Equations


W=F dot D
or W = FDcostheta


The Attempt at a Solution


i know that if an object is going at constant speed it's net force is zero
i tried solving for D which gave me .45/sintheta
then i got y comp of the weight force = 4gsinthet
the x comp of the wieght cut the phi angle in two = 53 - theta
and using Fa and angle (53-thet) i got the force that balance the 4g sin = 85sin(53 - thet)

then i used 4g sinthet = 85sin(53 - thet) to find theta because the net force is zero
i then put the theta i got into the D equation above.
I then found the x and y components of D and the x and y compnents of F using the angle( 53-thet) and did the dot product of that which came out to be 59.51455753 J
and it's wrong...
the answer is 17.658 J...supposedly
can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong? am i using the wrong angle or am i just going abot the problem wrong from the beginning? help please
 
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How much work is done on the box by Fa when the box has moved through vertical distance h = 0.45 m?
When the work is done on a body, its kinetic energy increases. But in the problem it is stated that the box moves with uniform velocity. How is that?
Next the work done on the box = rise in potential energy of the box = m*g*h
If you substitute the values you get the answer.
 
Last edited:

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