Inclined plane problem strange result

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a boy dragging a sled up an inclined plane while considering forces acting on the sled, including friction and the angle of the rope. The subject area includes dynamics and friction on inclined planes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to solve for the coefficient of kinetic friction and the sled's acceleration down the slope, expressing confusion about the angle of the rope relative to the hill. Participants discuss the implications of the angles involved and clarify the relationship between the rope's angle and the hill's angle.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging in clarifying the angles involved and the implications for the sled's motion. Some guidance has been offered regarding the relationship between static and kinetic friction, but there is no explicit consensus on the correct interpretation of the angles or the calculations involved.

Contextual Notes

There is uncertainty regarding the interpretation of the angle of the rope and its relation to the inclined plane, which may affect the calculations. The original poster expresses doubt about their results, indicating a need for further exploration of the problem setup.

kubaanglin
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Homework Statement


7. A boy drags his 60.0-N sled at constant speed up a 15.0° hill. He does so by pulling with a 25.0-N force on a rope attached to the sled. If the rope is inclined at 35.0° to the horizontal,
(a) What is the coefficient of kinetic friction between sled and snow?
(b) At the top of the hill, he jumps on the sled and slides down the hill. What is the magnitude of his acceleration down the slope?

Homework Equations


See Below

The Attempt at a Solution


20161008_163045.jpg

For question b, I ended up getting a result that should mean the sled is accelerating up the hill at ##2.29m/s^2##. Can someone look over my work? I was not sure what "If the rope is inclined at 35.0° to the horizontal" meant. I assumed it meant that the angle was relative to tilted axes.
 
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kubaanglin said:
I was not sure what "If the rope is inclined at 35.0° to the horizontal" meant. I assumed it meant that the angle was relative to tilted axes.
The tilted axis is not horizontal so that's not right.

The hill is 15.0° relative to the horizontal.
The rope is 35.0° relative to the horizontal.
So the rope must be at what angle relative to the hill?
 
Okay, that makes more sense.
20161008_170056.jpg
 
That's right.
Ignoring that your ##\mu## is wrong your working looks right for b) and your solution is valid.
Remember than generally:
##f_{kinetic} < f_{static}##
And
##f_{static} \leq \mu N ##

In words, the sled wouldn't accelerate up the hill, it'd just sit there without moving. The boy would have to find a steeper hill or fix his sled.
 

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