- #1
ChessEnthusiast
- 115
- 3
What's the minimal angle of a ramp such that a cube with side 10 cm placed on it will tip over? The coefficient of friction between the cube and the ramp is 0.6.
I have given it some thought and I have come to certain conclusions:
I think that the cube will tip over once the force of gravity has gone outside its base - the critical angle is plotted on my diagram.
The angle between the vertical component of the force of gravity and the force itself is 45 degrees, because the line containing the force vector also contains the diagonal of the square. The vertical component is parallel to the side of the cube, therefore, the angle must be 45 degrees.
This implies that the angle of inclination is also 45 degrees (triangle similiarity)
Does it mean that the minimal angle for a cube to collapse is always 45 degrees, regardless of the size of the cube and the coefficient of friction?
I have given it some thought and I have come to certain conclusions:
I think that the cube will tip over once the force of gravity has gone outside its base - the critical angle is plotted on my diagram.
The angle between the vertical component of the force of gravity and the force itself is 45 degrees, because the line containing the force vector also contains the diagonal of the square. The vertical component is parallel to the side of the cube, therefore, the angle must be 45 degrees.
This implies that the angle of inclination is also 45 degrees (triangle similiarity)
Does it mean that the minimal angle for a cube to collapse is always 45 degrees, regardless of the size of the cube and the coefficient of friction?