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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 is done if the sailor pulls the boat 30 m?

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?

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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ZayleeMaster · Tutor for 5 years

Answer

Here's how to calculate the work done by the sailor:<br /><br />**1. Understand the concept of work:**<br /><br />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.<br /><br />**2. Find the horizontal component of the force:**<br /><br />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:<br /><br />Horizontal force = Force * cos(angle)<br />Horizontal force = 250 N * cos(60°)<br />Horizontal force = 250 N * 0.5<br />Horizontal force = 125 N<br /><br />**3. Calculate the work done:**<br /><br />Work = Force (in direction of displacement) * Displacement<br />Work = 125 N * 30 m<br />Work = 3750 J<br /><br />**Answer:** The sailor does 3750 joules of work.<br />
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