Olympic cross country ski champion, Henrik Henrikson, is using a new ski wax, Gripola,
that is supposed to stop his ski from slipping backwards when he pushes off against the snow (it gives him a
coefficient of static friction between the ski and the snow of 0.20). While skiing, he applies a 1200 N force,
directed downwards and backwards, at an angle of 70 to the horizontal (see figure). Based on this
information, what is: a) the magnitude of the normal reaction force (FR) between the ski and the snow, b)
the magnitude of the force trying to cause sliding (FSLIDE) between the ski and the snow, and c) what is the
magnitude of the limiting value of friction (FLIM)?
1 answer