What Is the Minimum Force to Keep a Sled From Slipping on an Inclined Plane?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a sled on an inclined plane, specifically focusing on the forces acting on the sled and the role of friction in preventing it from slipping. The problem includes parameters such as the weight of the sled, the angle of inclination, and coefficients of static and kinetic friction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to analyze the forces using a free body diagram and an x/y chart but expresses confusion about their approach. Participants question the direction of the friction force and its relationship to the sled's motion.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's reasoning, providing clarifications regarding the direction of the friction force. There is an ongoing exploration of the assumptions made in the analysis, particularly concerning the forces acting on the sled.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of the original poster's reliance on a visual aid (an imgur link) to convey their work, indicating a potential gap in communication or understanding of the problem setup. The discussion also highlights the importance of correctly interpreting the coefficients of friction in the context of the problem.

Stianos
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1. A loaded penguin sled weighing 70 N rests on a plane inclined at 20° to the horizontal. Between the sled and the plane the coefficient of static friction is 0.25, and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.16.
(a) What is the minimum magnitude of the force F, parallel to the plane, that will prevent the sled from slipping down the plane?

3. I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. I draw my free body diagram, write out an x/y chart, and then solve.
I write a lot, so I'm just post an imgur link with my work in it.
http://imgur.com/pCNNQ

Can anyone show me what I'm doing wrong?
 
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Hello, Stianos.

If the sled is on the verge of slipping down the slope, what is the direction of the friction force?

Also, looks like you're treating the coefficient of friction as being the same as the force of friction.
 
If the sled is on the verge of slipping down the slope, then the friction is pointing up the slope?
Should I not do that? What should I do instead?
Thank you for responding, sorry I couldn't not respond immediately.
 
Stianos said:
If the sled is on the verge of slipping down the slope, then the friction is pointing up the slope?
Yes. It looked to me that you had the friction pointing down the slope.
 

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