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Acceleration on Inclined Planes Explained

The document discusses the physics of bodies moving on inclined planes, including calculations for acceleration due to gravity and the effects of tension in a system of coupled masses. It provides examples of both single and coupled bodies on frictionless inclined planes at various angles. The document outlines the steps to determine forces and accelerations using Newton's Second Law of Motion.

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terry yakuye
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21 views6 pages

Acceleration on Inclined Planes Explained

The document discusses the physics of bodies moving on inclined planes, including calculations for acceleration due to gravity and the effects of tension in a system of coupled masses. It provides examples of both single and coupled bodies on frictionless inclined planes at various angles. The document outlines the steps to determine forces and accelerations using Newton's Second Law of Motion.

Uploaded by

terry yakuye
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A Single Body Moving On A Single Incline Plane

Consider a 20 kg mass (with no external force applied) sliding down on a frictionless 50° inclined plane. What is the
acceleration of the mass?

Diagram Free Body Diagram Force vector diagram

Resolved vector diagram Resolved Forces

Acceleration

from Newton’s Second Law of Motion,

is the force causing the motion which cause the mass to slide down the slope.

is the acceleration of the mass caused by .

NB:
 Firstly, calculate the weight force ( ) the first easy force to identify is the force acting on the mass due to
gravity.
 Secondly, calculate the components of weight force which are and .
Since the mass moving down is due to the gravitational acceleration, the force we want is the component of
gravitational acceleration.
 The 50° angle of the plane is the same as the angle between the gravitational force and the normal (force).
Coupled Bodies On A Single Incline Plane

A 10 kg mass on a frictionless 35° inclined plane, and attach a second 20 kg mass via a cord to hang vertically, as
shown in Fig. 5-3. Calculate the acceleration of the system.

Now the tension in the cord is calculated from the equation for

Another way to view this problem is to say that the unbalanced force on and is ( ) This
force makes the total mass of to accelerate, so or .

This way is very quick to find the acceleration, , but it is inconvenient to find the tension ( ) in the cord.
Coupled Bodies With A Single Incline Plane At A Single Angle And A Single Coefficient of Friction

A inclined plane has a mass of on the plane where the coefficient of friction is and a mass of
hanging free. Calculate the acceleration of the system.
Coupled Bodies on Double Inclined Plane
An Incline Plane With Three Bodies And Two Connecting Cords

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