Answer to Question #240993 in Physics for Hans

Question

Suppose you are helping a friend transfer from one residence to another and your friend asks you to stand in the rear truck to hold a piano from an inclined plane. Explain why you should decline the request of your friend. The answer should indicate your understanding of Galileo and the First law of Motion.

Answer 1

The piano is heavy. Heavy bodies acquire much inertia, which requires a strong force to stop them or maintain their motion at a constant speed. Therefore, I should decline this request because it is dangerous: I do not have enough power to hold the piano from an inclined plane.