Work done by gravity on block sliding down incline

In summary, a 5.00 kg block slides 2.50 m down a rough 30.0 incline with a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.436. The problem at hand is to find the work done by the force of gravity, work done by the friction force between the block and incline, and the work done by the normal force. To calculate the work done by each force, the dot product between the force and object's displacement must be determined. For the force of gravity, the angle of the force must be taken into account. The friction force is in the opposite direction of displacement, while the normal force is perpendicular to the displacement. Further clarification may be needed for calculating the vertical components of the force
  • #1
TheNextOne21
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Starting from rest, a 5.00 kg block slides 2.50 m down a rough 30.0 incline. The coefficient of kinetic friction betwen the block and incline is .436

i need to find the work done by the force of gravity, work done by the friction force between block and incline and the work done by the normal force.

can anyone help me?
 
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  • #2


The work done by each force is the dot product between the force and the object's displacement. For gravity, the force is at an angle to the displacement, so you'll need to take that into account. For friction, the force is against the displacement (in the opposite direction of displacement). The normal force is perpendicular to the displacement.
 
  • #3


can you elaborate more on the gravity part.
 
  • #4


find the vertical (y) components of the force as well as displacement
 

FAQ: Work done by gravity on block sliding down incline

How is work done by gravity calculated?

The work done by gravity on a block sliding down an incline is calculated by multiplying the force of gravity (mg) by the distance the block travels down the incline (d) and the cosine of the angle of the incline (cosθ).

What is the relationship between work done by gravity and the angle of incline?

The work done by gravity is directly proportional to the angle of incline. As the angle of incline increases, the work done by gravity also increases.

Does the mass of the block affect the work done by gravity?

Yes, the mass of the block does affect the work done by gravity. The greater the mass of the block, the greater the force of gravity acting on it, resulting in a greater amount of work being done.

Can the work done by gravity be negative?

Yes, the work done by gravity can be negative if the block is sliding up the incline instead of down. In this case, the angle of the incline would be greater than 90 degrees and the cosine of this angle would be negative, resulting in a negative value for the work done by gravity.

How does friction affect the work done by gravity on a block sliding down an incline?

Friction acts in the opposite direction of motion, so it reduces the amount of work done by gravity. The more friction there is, the less work will be done by gravity on the block.

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