How Do You Calculate Forces on a Sled on a Slope?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ccmetz2020
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Fbd Forces
Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
1 reply · 3K views
ccmetz2020
Messages
15
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


A sled weighing 100 N is held in place on a frictionless 20 degree slope by a rope attached to a stake at the top. The rope is parallel to the slope. Use the FBD diagram of the sled below to answer the following. What is the correct formula in both the x and y direction? (referring to F=ma and F=0, Newton's 1st and 2nd laws). What is the normal force of the slope acting on the sled? (HINT: the force of weight is at an angle to your tilted coordinate system and needs to be broken down into its x and y components.)

I have attached the given FBD to this post



Homework Equations


Fy=0
Fx=0?


The Attempt at a Solution


In the y direction:
Fy=0 so
n - Wy = 0
In order to find Wy, I formed a right triangle with the 20 degree angle and used calculated that -100sin20 = approx. -34 N
That makes n = +34 N, right?
In the x direction:
I'm not sure about this but I assume that the net force is equal to zero.
That would mean: T-Wx = 0 right?
In the problem, it does not state to find what tension equals so I think all I had to do was write the correct formula in the x direction. Does this look good to you guys? Thanks.
 

Attachments

Physics news on Phys.org
It is correct except to find wy it would be 100*cos(20) since the angle is measured relative to the vertical. Likewise wx would be caculated using the sine function.