ADDITIONAL THEORY

An inclined plane is a straightforward device with a sloping surface that is used to lift
heavy objects. When friction is taken into account, the force needed to move an object up an
incline is less than the weight being raised. The needed force is closer to the real weight the
higher the slope or incline. Thus, Galileo was able to precisely measure acceleration using
straightforward instruments thanks to the inclined plane, which ultimately allowed him to
demonstrate that gravity is what causes all falling objects to accelerate toward Earth
uniformly at the same rate in the absence of other forces like air resistance. A mass, M
particle will slide down a smooth inclined plane if it is released onto it with a friction force
F=0. We resolve in the direction of motion to determine the particle's acceleration as it
slides.

The amount of force required to move an object up an inclined plane as opposed to

vertically is less, but the object must be moved a greater distance. As a result, the mechanical
effort required to lift an object vertically equals the effort required to move it up an inclined
plane.

m : mass of the block

g : Acceleration due to gravity

θ : Angle of elevation of the plane, measured from the horizontal

The mechanical advantage of an inclined plane is the ratio of the length of the sloped surface
to the height it spans. It may also be expressed as the cosecant of the angle between the plane
and the horizontal.
A simple physics exercise can help to understand the inclined plane. It is possible to
mathematically describe the forces acting on an object when it is placed on an inclined plane.
(Ignoring air resistance) There are three forces at work on the body:

 N : Normal force exerted by the plane onto the body

 mg : the force due to the gravity
 f : frictional force of the inclined plane

The gravitational force may be visualized as having two components:

A force parallel to the plane (mgSinθ ) and a force acting into the plane (mgCosθ ) which is
equal and opposite to N . If the force acting parallel to the plane (mgSinθ ) is greater than the
frictional force f , then the body will slide down the inclined plane. Otherwise, it will remain
stationary. When the slope angle (θ) is zero, sinθ is also zero so the body does not move.