Question

A father pulls a child on a toboggan along a flat surface with a rope angled at 35.0° above the horizontal. the total mechanical work done by the father over a horizontal displacement of 50.0 m is 2410 j. determine the work done on the toboggan by the normal force and the force of gravity, and explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

The work done on the toboggan by both the normal force and the force of gravity is zero due to their directions being perpendicular to the horizontal displacement of the toboggan.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this physics problem, the work done by the normal force on the toboggan is zero because the normal force acts perpendicular to the horizontal displacement of the toboggan.

Work is defined as a force causing a displacement and is calculated using the formula W = F × d × cos(θ), where W is the work done, F is the magnitude of the force, d is the displacement, and θ is the angle between the force and the displacement.

Since the normal force is perpendicular to the displacement, θ is 90 degrees and the cosine of 90 degrees is zero, resulting in no work being done by the normal force. Similarly, the work done by the force of gravity is also zero because the displacement is horizontal, and therefore, the angle between gravity, which acts vertically, and displacement is also 90 degrees, leading to no work being done by the gravitational force.