Newton's 2nd Law & Inclined Ramp

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on solving physics problems related to Newton's 2nd Law and inclined ramps. The first problem involves calculating the weight of an astronaut positioned equidistant from two stars of equal mass, which results in zero weight due to gravitational forces canceling each other out. The second problem examines a 75 kg box on a 25-degree inclined ramp, where the coefficient of kinetic friction (μ) is calculated as 0.061, and the acceleration of a 175 kg box on the same ramp is determined to be 1.54 m/s². Participants emphasize the importance of using free body diagrams to visualize forces acting on objects.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's 2nd Law of Motion
  • Knowledge of free body diagrams
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions (sine and cosine)
  • Concept of friction and coefficient of kinetic friction (μ)
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the application of Newton's 2nd Law in various scenarios
  • Learn how to construct and analyze free body diagrams
  • Explore the calculations involved in determining coefficients of friction
  • Investigate the effects of different angles on acceleration on inclined planes
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, educators teaching mechanics, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of motion and forces on inclined surfaces.

Mayy
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Well these two problems were from my quiz, and if I don't find out how to solve them soon, I'm going to spend my whole weekend thinking about them. D8 I'll try to remember the problems as best I can.

1) An astronaut is in space, in the midpoint of two stars that have the same mass. If all other stars are an infinite space away, how much does the astronaut weight? Explain.

2) A 75 kg box is on an inclined ramp that has an angle of 25 degrees. Its acceleration is 3.6 m/s/s.
a) Find mu of k between the box and ramp.
b) If the mass is 175 kg, what is its acceleration?

The answers to #2 are (a) .061, (b) 1.54 m/s/s
I just don't understand how to do part b. I got as far as finding sin, cos, and Fn, but I got stuck at finding Force of friction. I gave part a, just in case it's needed to solve b.
 
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Please show your work and then we can see where you are getting stuck.

For #2, part b presumably uses the same mu as you found in part a.
 
Always use a free body diagram for the questions like 1.Where there is a force acting on something, so you can have a clear map of forces..
 

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