A skier starts from rest at the top of a hill that is inclined 18.5° with respect to the horizontal. The hillside is 200 m long, and the coefficient of friction between snow and skis is μk = 0.0500. At the bottom of the hill, the snow is level and the coefficient of friction is unchanged. How far does the skier glide along the horizontal portion of the snow before coming to rest?

Question

A skier starts from rest at the top of a hill that is inclined 18.5° with respect to the horizontal. The hillside is 200 m long, and the coefficient of friction between snow and skis is μk  = 0.0500. At the bottom of the hill, the snow is level and the coefficient of friction is unchanged. How far does the skier glide along the horizontal portion of the snow before coming to rest?

bobpursley · Answer

The force of friction along the slope is mu*mg*CosTheta, so energy lost is that times 200m

The starting energy is at the top of the hill, mass*g*200/sin18.5

So, the KE at the bottom of the hill is the difference between those two, and the final energy is in friction or
equal to mu*mg*Distance, and you can then solve for Distance.

Anonymous · Answer

how did you find mass