Question

You roll a tire up an inclined plane. How do the force and work compare to lifting the tire straight up the
same height? Ignore friction. (1 point)

less force, less work

same force, same work

same force, less work

less force, same work

Answer 1

To analyze the situation, consider the following:

1. **Force**: When lifting the tire straight up, you must apply a force equal to the weight of the tire (mg, where m is mass and g is acceleration due to gravity). When rolling the tire up an inclined plane, the force you need to overcome is the component of the gravitational force acting along the incline. This force is less than the weight when the incline is not vertical, as you are also applying a rotational force to roll the tire. Therefore, you use less force when rolling the tire up an incline compared to lifting it straight up.

2. **Work**: Work is defined as the force applied times the distance over which it is applied (W = F * d). When lifting the tire straight up, the work done is equal to the weight of the tire times the height lifted (W = mg * h). When rolling the tire up an incline, while you might be applying less force, you are also moving it over a longer distance (the hypotenuse of the triangle formed by the incline), so the work done can still equate to mg * h.

In conclusion, when rolling the tire up an inclined plane, you apply **less force** but still do the **same work** as lifting it straight up.

Thus, the correct answer is:
**less force, same work**.