A small block slides down a slanted board when released. The upper half of the board is smooth and the lower is rough, so that the acceleration of the block on the smooth half is three times greater than it is on the rough half. The block reaches the bottom of the board in time t 1 ⁠. The board is then flipped so that the upper half is rough and the lower part is smooth, and the block is released from the top again. This time, the block reaches the bottom of the board in time t 2 ⁠. In both cases, the board makes the same angle with the horizontal. Find the ratio t 1 /t 2 ⁠.

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© 2009 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2009
American Association of Physics Teachers

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