How to find the cosine between the directions

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In summary, the question asks to find the work done by a horizontal force of 100N pushing a box up a ramp, gaining 3m of height for every 5m of distance. The work can be calculated by directly computing the dot product, multiplying the magnitudes of force and displacement by the cosine of the angle between them, or finding the component of displacement in the direction of the force and multiplying it by the magnitude of the force.
  • #1
moose02
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I really need some help on this one:

You push a box up a ramp using a horizontal 100-N force F. For each 5m of distance along the ramp the box gains 3m of height. Find the work done by F for each 5m it move along the ramp (a) by directly computing the dot product from the components of f and the displacement s, (b) by multiplying the product of magnitudes of f and s with the cosine of the angle between their directions (c) by finding the component of the displacement in the direction of the force and mulitplying it by the magnitude of the force.


I am pretty sure I know how to find the first part which is just
W=F*(5m i + 3m J) which would be 100N*5m + 100N*3m but I have no clue on the other two parts. For part b I am not sure how to find the cosine between the directions, I know the magnitude of F and is the magnitude of s just 5m + 3m? Any hints are greatly appreciate as I do not even know where to start. Thankyou
 
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  • #2
moose02 said:
I really need some help on this one:

You push a box up a ramp using a horizontal 100-N force F. For each 5m of distance along the ramp the box gains 3m of height. Find the work done by F for each 5m it move along the ramp (a) by directly computing the dot product from the components of f and the displacement s, (b) by multiplying the product of magnitudes of f and s with the cosine of the angle between their directions (c) by finding the component of the displacement in the direction of the force and mulitplying it by the magnitude of the force.


I am pretty sure I know how to find the first part which is just
W=F*(5m i + 3m J) which would be 100N*5m + 100N*3m but I have no clue on the other two parts. For part b I am not sure how to find the cosine between the directions, I know the magnitude of F and is the magnitude of s just 5m + 3m? Any hints are greatly appreciate as I do not even know where to start. Thankyou

If I understand the question correctly then the work done in part (a) is given by [itex]W=\vec{F} \cdot \vec{s} = (100N\hat{\imath} + 0N\hat{\jmath}) \cdot (4m \hat{\imath} + 3m \hat{\jmath}) = 400J[/itex]. (b) [itex]W = Fs\cos\theta = (100 N)(5 m)\cos\theta[/itex]. I suppose they gave you an inclination angle [itex]\theta[/itex] of the ramp that you can substitute in. Otherwise you can use the value of [itex]F[/itex] calculated in part (a) to find [itex]\cos\theta[/itex]. (s) [itex]W = F_xs_x = (100N)(4m) = 400J[/itex]
 
  • #3


To find the cosine between two directions, you will need to first find the angle between them. In this case, the angle between the directions of the force and the displacement is the angle of the ramp, which we can call θ.

For part (b), you can use the formula W = Fscosθ, where Fs is the magnitude of the force and θ is the angle between the force and displacement directions. In this case, Fs would be 100N and θ would be the angle of the ramp.

For part (c), you can use the formula W = Fdcosθ, where Fd is the component of the displacement in the direction of the force. In this case, Fd would be the magnitude of the displacement (5m + 3m) multiplied by the cosine of the angle of the ramp.

I hope this helps! Remember to always draw a diagram and label all the given information to help you visualize and solve the problem. Best of luck!
 

FAQ: How to find the cosine between the directions

How do you find the cosine between two directions using trigonometry?

To find the cosine between two directions using trigonometry, you will need to use the formula: cosθ = adjacent / hypotenuse. In this case, the adjacent side represents the shared side between the two directions, and the hypotenuse represents the length of one of the directions. Plug in the values for the adjacent and hypotenuse to calculate the cosine.

Can you use the dot product to find the cosine between two directions?

Yes, the dot product can be used to find the cosine between two directions. The dot product is calculated by multiplying the magnitudes of the two directions and then multiplying that by the cosine of the angle between them. The result of the dot product will be the cosine of the angle between the two directions.

How do you find the cosine between two directions using vectors?

To find the cosine between two directions using vectors, you first need to represent the two directions as vectors. Then, use the dot product formula (A · B = |A||B|cosθ) to calculate the cosine between the two vectors. The magnitude of each vector can be found using the Pythagorean theorem.

Is the cosine between two directions always a positive value?

No, the cosine between two directions can be either positive or negative. The sign of the cosine depends on the angle between the two directions. If the angle is acute (less than 90 degrees), the cosine will be positive. If the angle is obtuse (greater than 90 degrees), the cosine will be negative.

Can the cosine between two directions be greater than 1?

No, the cosine between two directions cannot be greater than 1. The range of values for cosine is between -1 and 1, with 1 representing a parallel or identical direction, 0 representing perpendicular directions, and -1 representing opposite directions. Any value greater than 1 would not make geometric sense.

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