Free Body Diagram of a Car on a Hill

Introduction

A free body diagram is a diagram that shows all the forces acting on an object. In this case, we will be looking at the forces acting on a car that is parked on a hill.

Forces Acting on the Car

The following forces are acting on the car:

• Weight (W): The weight of the car is the force of gravity pulling down on the car. The weight of the car is equal to its mass times the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2).
• Normal force (N): The normal force is the force exerted by the ground on the car. The normal force is equal to the weight of the car.
• Friction force (f): The friction force is the force that opposes the motion of the car. The friction force is equal to the coefficient of friction times the normal force.

Free Body Diagram

The free body diagram of the car is shown below.

[Image of a free body diagram of a car on a hill]

Calculating the Forces

To calculate the forces acting on the car, we need to know the following information:

• The mass of the car
• The angle of the hill
• The coefficient of friction between the car and the ground

Once we have this information, we can use the following equations to calculate the forces:

• Weight (W): W = mg
• Normal force (N): N = Wcosθ
• Friction force (f): f = μN

where:

• m is the mass of the car
• g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2)
• θ is the angle of the hill
• μ is the coefficient of friction between the car and the ground

Conclusion

The free body diagram of a car on a hill is a useful tool for understanding the forces that are acting on the car. This information can be used to calculate the forces and to determine whether the car will move.