Learning Friction #5

Question

A box sits on a frictionless ramp of 19 degrees. Find the acceleration of the box as it slides down the hill.

Answer 1

Without friction, the external only force present is gravity. The acceleration of gravity s downward, and is resolved into components that are horizontal (along the ramp) and vertical (perpendicular to the ramp).

To answer this question, only the acceleration along the ramp is considered (because the perpendicular component cannot cause motion..

The horizontal component is g* sin(19 deg) . Using 9.8 m.s^2 for g, the answer is 3.19 m/sec^2