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M1 Help Needed!

I've always wondered how we can be sure that resolving forces perpendicular and along inclined slopes is viable. Is it experimentally determined, or is there some great logic to it?

Thanks! :smile:

Reply 1

davros

Original post by genuinelydense

I've always wondered how we can be sure that resolving forces perpendicular and along inclined slopes is viable. Is it experimentally determined, or is there some great logic to it?

Thanks! :smile:

There's nothing special about "inclined slopes" - you're just using the basic principle of resolving a vector into 2 orthogonal components (i.e. at right angles), If something's constrained to slide up or down a slope then it's natural to take "along the slope" as one of the directions, and since the object isn't "flying off the slope into space" you should find that the perpendicular equation is also useful because you know that acceleration (and hence net force) in that direction must be 0.

Reply 2

ghostwalker

Original post by genuinelydense

Is it experimentally determined, or is there some great logic to it?

Newton's laws - observed in action and thus verified.

We cannot know that they are correct, only that they are consistent with observed behaviour, and allow us to predict things which can be checked - such is the nature of truth.