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Question 1: Why/how do you know that theta between the incline and the horizontal is the same as theta between the mg vector and the mgcostheta vector?
Edit:
Might as well ask this question here too.
Question 2: When asked to find the equation that represents the acceleration of a package sliding down a frictionless inclined plane that makes an angle theta with the horizontal ground, will this method always work?
Fnet = mg + Fnormal.
Since mg = mgcostheta + mgsintheta
Fnet = mgcostheta+mgsintheta+Fnormal
And since Fnormal and mgcostheta cancel each other out,
Fnet = mgsintheta = ma
so a = gsintheta
Question 3: And if a=gsintheta, then the force acting on the package down the incline is F=mgsintheta?
I'm sure this is basic inclined plane derivation, but I haven't been in Physics for a few years, and I'm realizing now that I might not have learned it (even though we were required to).
Thank you!
Edit:
Might as well ask this question here too.
Question 2: When asked to find the equation that represents the acceleration of a package sliding down a frictionless inclined plane that makes an angle theta with the horizontal ground, will this method always work?
Fnet = mg + Fnormal.
Since mg = mgcostheta + mgsintheta
Fnet = mgcostheta+mgsintheta+Fnormal
And since Fnormal and mgcostheta cancel each other out,
Fnet = mgsintheta = ma
so a = gsintheta
Question 3: And if a=gsintheta, then the force acting on the package down the incline is F=mgsintheta?
I'm sure this is basic inclined plane derivation, but I haven't been in Physics for a few years, and I'm realizing now that I might not have learned it (even though we were required to).
Thank you!
Last edited: