Question

How much work would it take to push a `2 kg` weight up a `15 m` plane that is at an incline of `pi / 4`?

Answer 1

Approximately `208 \ "J"`.

Explanation:

We use the work equation, which states that,

`W=F*d*costheta`

• `F` is the force in newtons

• `d` is the distance in meters

• `theta` is the angle of incline

And so, we find that the force is the weight of the box.

Weight is given by,

`W=mg`

• `m` is the mass in kilograms

• `g` is the gravitational acceleration, which is approximately `9.8 \ "m/s"^2`

And so, we find that,

`W=2 \ "kg"*9.8 \ "m/s"^2=19.6 \ "N"`

Then, the work done is:

`W=19.6 \ "N"*15 \ "m"*cos(pi/4)`

`=294*sqrt(2)/2 \ "J"`

`~~208 \ "J"`