Question

Suppose that the sled plus passenger of the preceding problem is pushed 20 m across the snow at constant velocity by a force directed 30° below the horizontal. Calculate

(a) the work of the applied force,
(b) the work of friction, and
(c) the total work.

Answer 1

To calculate the work of the applied force, we can use the equation W = Fd cos(theta), where W is the work, F is the force, d is the distance, and theta is the angle between the force and the direction of motion. The total work is the sum of the work of the applied force and the work of friction.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the work of the applied force, we can use the equation W = Fd cos(theta), where W is the work, F is the force, d is the distance, and theta is the angle between the force and the direction of motion. In this case, the force is directed 30° below the horizontal, so the angle theta is 30°. We can also use this equation to calculate the work of friction, where the force is the force of friction and the angle theta is 180°. The total work is the sum of the work of the applied force and the work of friction.

(a) The work of the applied force = Fd cos(theta) = Fd cos(30°)

(b) The work of friction = Fd cos(theta) = Fd cos(180°)

(c) The total work = work of the applied force + work of friction.