A piece of steel rests on a wooden board, with frictional coefficient 0.40 between steel and wood.Find the maximum inclination angle for the board before the steel begins sliding.

Question

jamesj · Answer

Step 1.  Draw a diagram

Step 2.  What are the three forces acting on the piece of steel: gravity, the normal force, and gravity

jamesj · Answer

The board starts to slide with the component of the gravitational force in the direction of the incline is greater than the friction, which is all in the direction of the incline.

jamesj · Answer

So to answer this question, write down those two forces and find the angle at which the gravitational force in the direction of the incline is greater than the frictional force.