Most introductory physics texts1 describe the motion of an object moving down an inclined plane. Different types of objects such as blocks sliding, balls or cylinders rolling,2 or boxes tumbling3 down the incline have been investigated in depth. One study4 looked at a block sliding down an inclined plane with the plane resting on a frictionless surface. Another study5 shows a calculation of the maximum horizontal speed of a ball rolling down an incline as a function of the angle of inclination of the plane. In this paper we present calculations of the time required for an object to slide down a frictionless inclined plane as a function of the angle of inclination. In addition, we include variations of this problem in which the length of the incline is changed.

Topics
Educational aids
1.
See, for example, Jerry D. Wilson, Anthony J. Buffa, and Bo Lou, College Physics, 5th ed. (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2003); James S. Walker, Physics, 2nd ed. (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2004); Raymond A. Serway, Robert J. Beichner, and John W. Jewett Jr., Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th ed. (Saunders, New York, 2000).
2.
M.
Salete
,
S. C. P.
Leite
, and
C. A. N.
Conde
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An inclined plane paradox
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,
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1974
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3.
A. M.
Nunes
and
J. P.
Silva
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Tilted boxes on inclined planes
,”
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,
1042
(Nov.
2000
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4.
Margaret Stautberg
Greenwood
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Inclined plane on a frictionless surface
,”
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110
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1990
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5.
Mark
Lattery
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A simple and surprising experiment is performed by physical science students
,”
Phys. Educ.
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(
2000
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© 2004 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2004
American Association of Physics Teachers
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