How Can the Acceleration of a Crate on a Truck Be Determined?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the acceleration of a crate on a truck that is accelerating. The problem involves concepts from dynamics, specifically relating to friction, forces acting on the crate, and the effects of acceleration on motion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the acceleration of the crate based on the truck's acceleration and the forces acting on the crate, including friction. Some participants suggest separating the tangential and radial components of acceleration and drawing free body diagrams to clarify the forces involved.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, offering hints and guidance on how to approach the forces acting on the crate. There is an ongoing exploration of the forces in both the perpendicular and parallel directions, with some participants questioning the completeness of the original poster's equations and suggesting additional considerations.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of the coefficients of static and kinetic friction, as well as the angle of incline, which are relevant to the forces acting on the crate. Participants are also considering the implications of the truck's acceleration and the potential for the crate to slide or remain stationary based on the forces calculated.

Jonski
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Homework Statement


At the instant shown, the driver of the truck has just pressed the accelerator pedal down and the truck has suddenly acquired a tangential acceleration of 2.2m/s^2.
Coefficient of static friction between crate and tray = 0.4
Coefficient of kinetic friction between crate and tray = 0.3
Find the acceleration of the crate?

12212241_10206152257260286_1232742001_n.jpg


Homework Equations


a(normal) = v^2/r
F=ma
F = mv^2/r

The Attempt at a Solution


a(tangential) = 2.2m/s^2
a(normal) = 6.1^2/112 =0.33
a = 2.225m/s^2
F = 270 *2.225 = 600.8N
mv^2/r = -N + m.g.cos(15)
89.7=-N+2555.84
N=2466.1N
μN = 986.4N
986.4 > 600.8
Box doesn't move

However this is not the correct answer as I know it moves.
Can someone please help me found out where I am going wrong.
Thanks
 
Last edited:
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In the statement of the question you only mentioned finding the acceleration of the truck, which you did. So I assume the next part is asking whethe the crate slides.
Keep the tangential and radial components of the truck's acceleration separate. Draw a free body diagram of the crate. What forces act on it parallel to the slope and what forces perpendicular to the slope? If it does not slide, what is its acceleration in each of those directions? What equations does that give you?
 
Well in the perpendicular direction you have the normal force, weight force*cos(15) and centripetal force
In the parallel direction you have friction force and weight force*sin(15) @haruspex
 
Jonski said:
Well in the perpendicular direction you have the normal force, weight force*cos(15) and centripetal force
In the parallel direction you have friction force and weight force*sin(15) @haruspex
Almost right.
In nonlinear motion, you can choose to think in terms of centrifugal or centripetal.
If you choose centrifugal then it is a ("fictitious") applied force, i.e. it comes into the ##\Sigma F=ma## equation like any other applied force.
If you choose centripetal then it is a resultant force, not an applied force. Specifically, it is that component of the resultant force that produces the centripetal acceleration: ##\Sigma F_{radial}=F_{centripetal}=ma_{centripetal}##.
So, write out those equations.
 
haruspex said:
Almost right.
In nonlinear motion, you can choose to think in terms of centrifugal or centripetal.
If you choose centrifugal then it is a ("fictitious") applied force, i.e. it comes into the ##\Sigma F=ma## equation like any other applied force.
If you choose centripetal then it is a resultant force, not an applied force. Specifically, it is that component of the resultant force that produces the centripetal acceleration: ##\Sigma F_{radial}=F_{centripetal}=ma_{centripetal}##.
So, write out those equations.

So Fcentripetal = mv^2/r = 270*6.1^2/112=89.7N
ΣF = mgcosΘ - N = 2555.84 - N = 89.7N
N = 2466.14N

Is that right? Not too sure what you mean
 
Jonski said:
So Fcentripetal = mv^2/r = 270*6.1^2/112=89.7N
ΣF = mgcosΘ - N = 2555.84 - N = 89.7N
N = 2466.14N

Is that right? Not too sure what you mean
Yes, good so far.
I see you've updated post #1 to reflect this. But you are missing a force in the tangential direction.
 
haruspex said:
Yes, good so far.
I see you've updated post #1 to reflect this. But you are missing a force in the tangential direction.

Do you also have something to do with the acceleration of the truck? Otherwise I don't know
 
Jonski said:
Do you also have something to do with the acceleration of the truck? Otherwise I don't know
Hint 1: Forget the curvature of the hill and truck acceleration for a moment. Suppose the truck were going up a steady incline at constant speed, would some friction still be needed to keep the crate in place?
Hint 2: Whenever you write force equations that involve, say, ##F\sin(\theta)## for some force F and angle theta, consider that in some other equation you might expect to see a term like ##F\cos(\theta)##.
 
haruspex said:
Hint 1: Forget the curvature of the hill and truck acceleration for a moment. Suppose the truck were going up a steady incline at constant speed, would some friction still be needed to keep the crate in place?
Hint 2: Whenever you write force equations that involve, say, ##F\sin(\theta)## for some force F and angle theta, consider that in some other equation you might expect to see a term like ##F\cos(\theta)##.

Some friction would still be needed otherwise the crate would fall of.
Also i think the force and angle thing you're talking about is the weight force, which I included in both equations
 
  • #10
Jonski said:
the weight force, which I included in both equations
You mentioned it in post #3, but I still don't see an equation involving mg sin(theta).
 
  • #11
haruspex said:
You mentioned it in post #3, but I still don't see an equation involving mg sin(theta).

So if F=ma=270*2.225=600.8N
Then the N = mgcosΘ - mv^2/r = 270*9.8*cos(15) - 270*6.1^2/112=2466.1N
So if it were to stay with static friction:
μN*sinΘ=0.4*2466.1*sin(15)=255.3N
Since this is less than 600.8N we know it moves.
Now we not its slips and governed by kinetic friction
F = μNsin(15)=0.3*2466.1*sin(15) = 191.5N
Since F = ma, a = F/m = 0.71m/s^2
Is that right?
 
  • #12
Jonski said:
μN*sinΘ
What is the relevance of μN*sinΘ?
You are looking (I hope) at forces tangential to the slope. The maximum friction, μN, is tangential to the slope. μN*sinΘ would be the vertical component of that.
What other force has a component tangential to the slope? Reread my posts #8 and #10.
 

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