Suppose you were skateboarding and wanted to use a spring to launch you off a ramp. Assuming you have a mass of 70 kg, if the spring has a spring constant k = 625 N/m and is compressed 5 m, if the ramp has a 60° slope and is 10 m long, will you make it off the ramp?

Question

Suppose you were skateboarding and wanted to use a spring to launch you off a ramp.  Assuming you have a mass of 70 kg, if the spring has a spring constant k = 625 N/m and is compressed 5 m, if the ramp has a 60° slope and is 10 m long, will you make it off the ramp?

anonymous · Answer

Where exactly are you stuck at?

anonymous · Answer

I am trying to figure out the formula that I should use

anonymous · Answer

Well ahm... besides the "formula"  - how are you going to answer the question. Just ahm roughly... what are you going to do?

anonymous · Answer

Once I find the formula, I'll be able to make the necessary adjustments

anonymous · Answer

So basically, you are saying, you got no clue and don't want to make anny effort but are just waiting for somebody to solve it for you? :P

Ahm... i'll give you a hint.. doing it via the equations of motion is unnecessary. There's probably something about "energy" in your textbook or in your lecture notes of last week... look that up ;)