A body of weight W N rest on a smooth plane inclined at an angleθ θ o to the horizontal. What is the resolved part of the weight in Newtons along the plane?
A body of weight W N rest on a smooth plane inclined at an angleθo to the horizontal. What is the resolved part of the weight in Newtons along the plane?
Answer Details
When an object of weight W rests on an inclined plane, the weight force can be resolved into two components: one perpendicular to the plane (W cosθ) and the other parallel to the plane (W sinθ). The component of weight parallel to the plane is what we are interested in, as this is the force that will cause the object to slide down the plane if it is not held in place. Therefore, the resolved part of the weight in Newtons along the plane is W sinθ. This is because the weight force is proportional to the sine of the angle of inclination, meaning that the steeper the slope, the greater the force parallel to the plane. So, option A (W sinθ) is the correct answer.