Inclined Surface: Velocity and angle of incline

Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the angle of incline and the acceleration of a car moving down an inclined surface. Participants are exploring how gravitational potential energy relates to velocity and acceleration in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the decomposition of gravitational forces into components along and perpendicular to the incline. There are attempts to relate gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy and questions about how to express height in terms of the incline's length and angle.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered insights into the relationships between variables, such as the connection between height, length of the incline, and angle. Multiple interpretations of the problem are being explored, particularly regarding the equations and their implications for acceleration and velocity.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption of neglecting friction and are trying to clarify the mathematical relationships involved in the problem. There is a focus on understanding how to derive height from the incline's length and angle.

Svensken
Messages
28
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



How is angle of incline related to the acceleration of the car moving down it?

I know how to find both the velocity and acceleration of a car moving down a track using the suvat equations. I don't understand the relationship between angle of incline, velocity and gravity.

Basically, how does increased gravitational PE affect velocity?

Homework Equations



mgh
2s/t=v

The Attempt at a Solution



I think it has something to do with cosine of the angle as well as 1/2mv^2

Thank you guys and Gals!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Spit the weight of the car into components perpendicular to the plane and parallel to the plane.

Also, how would you find the height the car is at when you know the length of the incline?
 
i was thinking:

mgh turns into 1/2 mv^2 (i am neglecting friction)

rearranging gives
v = sqroot(2gh)

Since g is equal to acceleration due to gravity it becomes g =a*sin(angle)

Is this correct?
 
Svensken said:
i was thinking:

mgh turns into 1/2 mv^2 (i am neglecting friction)

rearranging gives
v = sqroot(2gh)

yes but say you only had the length of the incline and the angle θ, what would h in terms of that length and θ?

Svensken said:
Since g is equal to acceleration due to gravity it becomes g =a*sin(angle)

Is this correct?

This is correct for the car's acceleration parallel to the plane
 
rock.freak667 said:
what would h in terms of that length and θ?

i would assume that h= length*sinθ?

This is correct for the car's acceleration parallel to the plane

Parallel meaning moving down the plane?

Thanks mate!
 

Similar threads

Replies
11
Views
1K
  • · Replies 36 ·
2
Replies
36
Views
6K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
5K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
5K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
4K