Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Can you answer this physics question?

An 80 N box is pulled 20 m up a 30o Incline by an applied force of 100N that point upward, parallel to the incline. If the coefficient of kinetic friction between box and incline is 0.220, calculate the change in the kinetic energy of the box.

1 Answer

Relevance
  • Favorite Answer

    General idea: Change in kinetic energy = Work done by the force plus work done by gravity plus work done by friction. [Note these latter two will be negative because the force is in the opposite direction as the movement].

    The box weighs 80 pounds, but it is on a 30 degree incline, so the amount which gravity pulls against it [parallel to the incline] is only 80*sin(30)=F_P=40 Newtons

    Work done by parallel force = -40*20 = -800 Joules.

    The box pushes into the incline with a force equal to the perpendicular gravitational force: 80*cos(30). The force of friction is equal to this times the coefficient of friction, so

    F_f=80*(0.22)*cos(30)

    Work done by friction = -80*(0.22)*cos(30)*20 = W_f

    [Use calculator to get W_f...should be approximately -280

    Work done by applied force = 100*20 = 2000 J

    So change in kinetic energy = 2000-800+W_f

    So the answer is approximately 920 J.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.