1. Alice is about to sled down a snow-covered hill as shown below. The hill is so slippery that there's no friction between her sled and the snow. What will Alice's acceleration down the hill be? (Hint: Anything close to the earth's surface that falls freely will acceleration straight downward at a constant gravitational acceleration, g. Find the component of this gravitational acceleration that is parallel with the surface of the hill. Be sure to draw a large diagram that shows the vector g and how you're finding the parallel component.)

Advanced Engineering Mathematics
10th Edition
ISBN:9780470458365
Author:Erwin Kreyszig
Publisher:Erwin Kreyszig
Chapter2: Second-order Linear Odes
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1RQ
icon
Related questions
Question

This is for my Precalc class. Course covers trigonometric, polynomial, and rational functions and their applications. 

### Physics Problem: Acceleration Down a Hill

---

#### Problem Statement:
1. Alice is about to sled down a snow-covered hill as shown below. The hill is so slippery that there’s no friction between her sled and the snow. What will Alice’s acceleration down the hill be? (*Hint: Anything close to the earth’s surface that falls freely will accelerate straight downward at a constant gravitational acceleration, g. Find the component of this gravitational acceleration that is parallel with the surface of the hill. Be sure to draw a large diagram that shows the vector g and how you’re finding the parallel component.*)

![Alice sledding down a hill](Alice_sledding_hill.png)

#### Diagram Explanation:
The diagram depicts Alice sitting on a sled, preparing to slide down a hill inclined at an angle θ. The angle θ is the angle between the hill’s surface and the horizontal ground.

#### Solution Steps:
1. **Identify the Gravitational Force (g):**
   - The gravitational force acts vertically downward with an acceleration \( g \approx 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \).

2. **Resolve the Gravitational Force into Components:**
   - The gravitational force \( g \) can be resolved into two components:
     - A component perpendicular to the hill’s surface.
     - A component parallel to the hill’s surface (which causes the sled to accelerate down the hill).

3. **Calculate the Parallel Component:**
   - The parallel component of the gravitational force causing Alice to slide down the hill can be found using:
     \[ g_{\parallel} = g \sin(\theta) \]
   where \( \sin(\theta) \) is the sine of the angle of the hill’s incline.

4. **Resultant Acceleration:**
   - Since there is no friction, the parallel component of gravity is the net acceleration of Alice down the hill:
     \[ a = g \sin(\theta) \]

---

By following these steps, Alice's acceleration down the hill can be determined considering the given conditions and the absence of friction.
Transcribed Image Text:### Physics Problem: Acceleration Down a Hill --- #### Problem Statement: 1. Alice is about to sled down a snow-covered hill as shown below. The hill is so slippery that there’s no friction between her sled and the snow. What will Alice’s acceleration down the hill be? (*Hint: Anything close to the earth’s surface that falls freely will accelerate straight downward at a constant gravitational acceleration, g. Find the component of this gravitational acceleration that is parallel with the surface of the hill. Be sure to draw a large diagram that shows the vector g and how you’re finding the parallel component.*) ![Alice sledding down a hill](Alice_sledding_hill.png) #### Diagram Explanation: The diagram depicts Alice sitting on a sled, preparing to slide down a hill inclined at an angle θ. The angle θ is the angle between the hill’s surface and the horizontal ground. #### Solution Steps: 1. **Identify the Gravitational Force (g):** - The gravitational force acts vertically downward with an acceleration \( g \approx 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 \). 2. **Resolve the Gravitational Force into Components:** - The gravitational force \( g \) can be resolved into two components: - A component perpendicular to the hill’s surface. - A component parallel to the hill’s surface (which causes the sled to accelerate down the hill). 3. **Calculate the Parallel Component:** - The parallel component of the gravitational force causing Alice to slide down the hill can be found using: \[ g_{\parallel} = g \sin(\theta) \] where \( \sin(\theta) \) is the sine of the angle of the hill’s incline. 4. **Resultant Acceleration:** - Since there is no friction, the parallel component of gravity is the net acceleration of Alice down the hill: \[ a = g \sin(\theta) \] --- By following these steps, Alice's acceleration down the hill can be determined considering the given conditions and the absence of friction.
Expert Solution
trending now

Trending now

This is a popular solution!

steps

Step by step

Solved in 2 steps with 2 images

Blurred answer
Recommended textbooks for you
Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9780470458365
Author:
Erwin Kreyszig
Publisher:
Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Numerical Methods for Engineers
Numerical Methods for Engineers
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9780073397924
Author:
Steven C. Chapra Dr., Raymond P. Canale
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Education
Introductory Mathematics for Engineering Applicat…
Introductory Mathematics for Engineering Applicat…
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9781118141809
Author:
Nathan Klingbeil
Publisher:
WILEY
Mathematics For Machine Technology
Mathematics For Machine Technology
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9781337798310
Author:
Peterson, John.
Publisher:
Cengage Learning,
Basic Technical Mathematics
Basic Technical Mathematics
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9780134437705
Author:
Washington
Publisher:
PEARSON
Topology
Topology
Advanced Math
ISBN:
9780134689517
Author:
Munkres, James R.
Publisher:
Pearson,