Pushing at a downward angle with friction

  • Thread starter Thread starter casedogg
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Angle Friction
Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a factory worker pushing a crate at a downward angle while accounting for friction. The crate has a mass of 32.0 kg, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.25. Participants are exploring how to calculate the force required to maintain constant velocity under these conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationship between the applied force, the normal force, and friction. There are attempts to break down the forces into components, particularly questioning how to calculate the vertical component of the applied force. Some participants express confusion about how the downward push affects the normal force and, consequently, the frictional force.

Discussion Status

The discussion includes various attempts to set up equations relating the forces involved. Some participants have suggested that the frictional force equals the applied horizontal force, while others have pointed out the need to account for the vertical component of the applied force. There is a recognition of the need to equate different expressions for force, but no consensus has been reached on the specific calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the problem involves constant velocity, implying zero acceleration, which influences the force balance in the horizontal direction. There is also mention of previous similar questions in the forum, indicating a broader context of inquiry.

casedogg
Messages
4
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


A factory worker pushes a 32.0 kg crate a distance of 5.0 m along a level floor at constant velocity by pushing horizontally on it. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and floor is 0.25. The factory worker pushes downward at an angle of 40° below the horizontal.
What magnitude of force must the worker apply to move the crate at a constant velocity?

Homework Equations


Fn= mg+Fy
fk=.25Fn
Fy=Fsin(40)

The Attempt at a Solution


I spent a long time trying to figure this out, I know mg=313.6N and i need to add the force of the y component to that to find the normal force, but I don't know how to find Fy, or Fx. If there was no vertical push it would just be 78.4N in the x direction, which equals the force of friction. But with the vertical push it seems like the harder you push, the more friction increases, and thus you need to push harder. I saw other people have had the same question on this forum before, but with different numbers, but they don't help me because people only told them that the vertical push makes the normal force bigger, but I don't know how to calculate the vertical push.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
casedogg said:

Homework Statement


A factory worker pushes a 32.0 kg crate a distance of 5.0 m along a level floor at constant velocity by pushing horizontally on it. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the crate and floor is 0.25. The factory worker pushes downward at an angle of 40° below the horizontal.
What magnitude of force must the worker apply to move the crate at a constant velocity?



Homework Equations


Fn= mg+Fy
fk=.42Fn
Fy=Fsin(40)

The Attempt at a Solution


I spent a long time trying to figure this out, I know mg=313.6N and i need to add the force of the y component to that to find the normal force, but I don't know how to find Fy, or Fx. If there was no vertical push it would just be 131.712N in the x direction, which equals the force of friction. But with the vertical push it seems like the harder you push, the more friction increases, and thus you need to push harder. I saw other people have had the same question on this forum before, but with different numbers, but they don't help me because people only told them that the vertical push makes the normal force bigger, but I don't know how to calculate the vertical push.

Would you believe that you have already written the equation that gives it to you?
Before I tell you where it is, do you know how to break vectors into components? You use trig. --you know sines and cosines hypotenuses and opposite and adjacent sides and all that good stuff :smile:

Up above you wrote [tex]F_y = F sin(40)[/tex] It seems you knew how to do it all along...
 
But I don't know what Fy is or F, what I'm trying to find is F, if I could find Fy, Fx, fk or Fn then I would be able to find F
 
casedogg said:
But I don't know what Fy is or F, what I'm trying to find is F, if I could find Fy, Fx, fk or Fn then I would be able to find F

Well, first since the velocity is constant, the acceleration is zero and so the sum of the forces in the x direction is zero. That implies that the frictional force is equal in magnitude to the applied horizontal force or,

[tex]f = F cos(40)[/tex]

But,as you know, the frictional force is also given by

[tex]f = \mu_k(mg + Fsin(40) )[/tex]

You know [tex]\mu_k[/tex] and m and g and you can set those two equations equal and get F.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: UniqueName
F=129.5N
Thank You very much!

I had been trying to find two equations like that which equaled each other so I would only have one variable.
 

Similar threads

Replies
42
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
6K
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
11
Views
1K
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K