Chapter 6, Problem 28AP

A child’s toy consists of a small wedge that has an acute angle θ (Fig. P6.28). The sloping side of the wedge is frictionless, and an object of mass m on it remains at constant height if the wedge is spun at a certain constant speed. The wedge is spun by rotating, as an axis, a vertical rod that is firmly attached to the wedge at the bottom end. Show that, when the object sits at rest at a point at distance L up along the wedge, the speed of the object must be v = (gL sin θ)^1/2.

Figure P6.28