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A Sailor Pulls a Boat Along the River with a Force of 250 N. The Rope Is Held at an Angle of 60^circ Along the Horizontal How Much Work

Question

A sailor pulls a boat along the river with a force of 250 N. The rope is held at an angle of 60^circ along the horizontal How much work is done if the sailor pulls the boat 30 m?

Solution

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Zaylee Master · Tutor for 5 years

Answer

Here's how to calculate the work done by the sailor:**1. Understand the concept of work:**Work is done when a force causes an object to move in the direction of the force. It's calculated as the product of the force component in the direction of displacement and the displacement.**2. Find the horizontal component of the force:**Since the rope is at a 60° angle, only the horizontal component of the force contributes to the work done in pulling the boat forward. We can find this component using trigonometry:Horizontal force = Force * cos(angle)Horizontal force = 250 N * cos(60°)Horizontal force = 250 N * 0.5Horizontal force = 125 N**3. Calculate the work done:**Work = Force (in direction of displacement) * DisplacementWork = 125 N * 30 mWork = 3750 J**Answer:** The sailor does 3750 joules of work.