[php snippet=1]
A box is stationary on an inclined plane. As the angle of the inclined plane – determined by measuring from the horizontal – increases, the normal force:

Loading ...
Correct Answer: A. decreases nonlinearly.
The only forces that act perpendicular to the incline are the normal force and the perpendicular component of weight. There is no acceleration perpendicular to the incline for this stationary object. The normal force is equal to the perpendicular component of the weight, which is given by mg cos
. As the angle increases, the cosine of the angle must decrease. The graph of the normal force N vs.
would show a curve, not a line and so the change is nonlinear.
Today’s question has been brought to you by Gold Standard MCAT.
Get more passage-based questions at Gold Standard MCAT.
Subscribe below to receive the MCAT Question of the Day delivered straight to your inbox every morning.