Answer:
Acceleration down a ramp is less than 9.8 m/s^2
Explanation:
The force responsible for accelerating down an object is the force of gravity (the weight of the object), given by
[tex]F=mg[/tex]
where m is the mass of the object and g=9.8 m/s^2 is the acceleration due to gravity.
When an object is along a ramp, the acceleration is along the ramp: therefore, it is due not to the whole force of gravity, but only to its component acting along the ramp. The component of the weight acting along the ramp is
[tex]F=mg sin \theta[/tex]
where [tex]\theta[/tex] is the angle of the ramp. As a consequence, the acceleration of the object is
[tex]a=g sin \theta[/tex]
and since [tex]sin \theta < 1[/tex], it means that the acceleration is less than 9.8 m/s^2.
