a car skids at constant speed down an icy hill inclined at 1.7 degrees. a) find the coefficient of friction between the tires and the icy road.

Question

anonymous · Answer

i know we have to use some type of trig function, but i do not know how to even start it.

anonymous · Answer

Draw a diagram and draw in all the forces you can think of acting on the car. After you do this the problem will look much simpler.

turingtest · Answer

|dw:1330723947687:dw|Use geometry/trig to find the component of gravity along the ramp, and perpendicular to the ramp. The normal force will be equal to the component of gravity perpendicular to the ramp. You can use that to find the force of friction.
The only forces acting on the car along the ramp are gravity and friction. Since the car is sliding at a constant speed, the net force is zero.
Use the fact that the sum of the forces along the ramp is zero to find the coefficient of friction.