How to Calculate Work Done by an Escalator?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the work done by an escalator on a mass, with specific values provided for mass, distance, gravitational acceleration, and angle. The subject area includes concepts from mechanics, particularly work and force calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between force and work, questioning the use of cosine versus sine in the work formula. There is an attempt to clarify the height over which the mass is lifted and how that relates to the angle provided.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants questioning the initial approach and suggesting alternative methods for calculating work. Some guidance has been offered regarding the use of sine in the context of the problem, but no consensus has been reached.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the implications of using different trigonometric functions in their calculations, indicating a potential misunderstanding of the problem setup or assumptions regarding the angle and height involved.

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Homework Statement


http://img252.imageshack.us/my.php?image=heyheygw0.jpg
Mass=57.1 Kg
Distance 69.5 m
G= 9.8
Theta= 34.9
So I'm trying to find the amount of work done on mass.

Homework Equations


F=ma
Work=Fcos(theta)D

The Attempt at a Solution


Okay so i started out finding Force by Newtons 2nd law.
F=ma
f=57.1(9.8)
F=559.58
Okay so then I went with force to the work fomula.
Work=559.58cos(34.9)69.5
and that gave me 31896.37
but this answer proved to be incorrect?
 
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Why cos(theta)? Over what height is mass (or weight) lifted?
 
good question.
sin would prehaps be more fitting =)
 
I have a similar problem like this so if I was to solve this problem would it go like this:
Work=Fsin(theta)D

?
 

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