Finding Force to Pull 150lb Sled on Horizontal Surface

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To determine the force required to pull a 150-pound sled on a horizontal surface with a coefficient of friction of 0.10 and a pulling angle of 30 degrees, a free-body diagram is essential. The equations derived include F cos 30 = 0.10 x normal force and the relationship between normal force, pulling force, and the sled's weight. It is confirmed that converting the sled's weight to kilograms is unnecessary, as using pounds is acceptable. The discussion emphasizes solving for the pulling force symbolically before substituting numerical values to minimize errors. This methodical approach aids in accurately calculating the required force.
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What force is required to pull a 150-pound sled along a horizontal surface? The coefficient of friction is 0.10 and the sled is pulled by a rope which makes an angle of 30 degrees with the horizontal?
 
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Hello science_again

What have you done to solve this problem?
Have you drawn a free-body diagram for the sled.
 
This is where I am at.

F cos 30 - 0.10(friction) = 0
F cos 30 = 0.10 x normal force (Fn) [1]
Fn + F sin 30 - weight of sled = 0 [2]

Therefore substitute, put [2] in [1] you get 0.866F = 0.1(weight of sled - 0.5F)

should the weight of sled convert to kg?
 
science_again said:
This is where I am at.
should the weight of sled convert to kg?
You don't need to.
 
Last edited:
F cos 30 - 0.10(friction) = 0
F cos 30 = 0.10 x normal force (Fn) [1]
Fn + F sin 30 - weight of sled = 0 [2]

That looks correct.
Try and work out F using symbols and then substitute the numbers at the end of the problem.
This makes it easier to avoid errors.

should the weight of sled convert to kg?
Normally you would use the same units that the question uses, so pounds would be ok.
 
Thanks
 
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