Sue's brother is on a sled on top of ice (assume no friction). Sue is pulling her brother with 15 N of force at a 38 degree angle above the horizontal. Calculate the work done if she pulls him for 50 meters.

Using the equation W = F * d we know work is equal to the force in the same direction as the distance moved. To find the force in the same direction as the distance we must find the horizontal component. To find the x-component we need cos(38), remember to put your calculator in degree mode! Now multipy the answer by the 15N of force to find the magnitude. The force in the direction of the distance travled is then 11.82N. The question gives the distance to be 50m. Plugging our values into the equation gives W = 11.82 * 50 which is 591.0J 

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Answered by Emily B. Physics tutor

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