Question

Truck brakes can fail if they get too hot. In some mountainous areas, ramps of loose gravel are constructed to stop runaway trucks that have lost their brakes. The combination of a slight upward slope and a large coefficient of friction as the truck tires sink into the gravel brings the truck safely to a halt. Suppose a gravel ramp slopes upward at 6˚ and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.4. A 15,000-kg truck enters the ramp at 35 m/s. (Important: You must use work and energy. )

(a) After the truck has stopped, in what two forms has the truck’s energy been transformed?

(b) How far up the ramp does the truck come to rest?

Answer 1