Image Shouldn’t the slopped distance be considered instead of the height? (Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei: chapter 233)
It’s a deceptive thing, that incline.
As a human doing the work (human definition), it’s intuitively less work to use the slope.
But in measurable, calculable physics terms, the slope oy changes the time over which the Work (Physics definition) is done.
In this scenario since acceleration is near zero, it doesn’t matter.
Admetus@sopuli.xyz 1 week ago
Hello, Physics teacher here! Key to the concept of energy aka work is its definition:
Work done on an object = force X distance moved in the direction of the force. This can also apply when the force is in the opposite direction to the movement, i.e. gravitational force down, movement up. We say we’re doing work against gravity.
So the slope introduces horizontal movement but no horizontal forces makes this relevant. It only becomes relevant when say, sliding and friction is introduced!