Hi again. Checking one more to see if I get it.

[Pinkshell4u]

Homework Statement

A train slowly climbs a 500 m mountain track which is at an angle of 10 degrees with respect to the horizontal. How much altitude does it gain?

Homework Equations

Looks a lot like the jogger one except you find change in y instead, right?
Are we missing mass? Do I need mass?
So do I use the -FdSin again?

The Attempt at a Solution

I tried it and came up with a crazy huge answer.

 

[PhanthomJay]

Homework Statement

A train slowly climbs a 500 m mountain track which is at an angle of 10 degrees with respect to the horizontal. How much altitude does it gain?

Looks like just a basic trig problem ...the diagonal is 500 m, the angle is 10 degrees, so the height increase is___?___?

 

[Pinkshell4u]

I appreciate your help Jay but you basically just repeated the question. I'm an old dog trying to learn a new trick here so please bear with me. I am the weakest link when it comes to math. I get confused about what equation to use and why.

If I'm looking for the change in altitude then I would use FDelta Y Cos...right? Thats what my books got anyway. But there's no F and I don't have a mass, so what now?

 

[PhanthomJay]

If the question is worded properly, you have a right triangle with a small angle of 10 degrees, and a diagonal of 500 m. From trigonometry, the side opposite the given angle, divided by the hypotenuse, is the sin of the angle. So h/500 = sin 10 degrees. Solve for h.

 

[Pinkshell4u]

Thank you very much Jay!