What is Wedge: Definition and 278 Discussions

A wedge is a triangular shaped tool, and is a portable inclined plane, and one of the six simple machines. It can be used to separate two objects or portions of an object, lift up an object, or hold an object in place. It functions by converting a force applied to its blunt end into forces perpendicular (normal) to its inclined surfaces. The mechanical advantage of a wedge is given by the ratio of the length of its slope to its width. Although a short wedge with a wide angle may do a job faster, it requires more force than a long wedge with a narrow angle.
The force is applied on a flat, broad surface. This energy is transported to the pointy, sharp end of the wedge, hence the force is transported.
The wedge simply transports energy and collects it to the pointy end, consequently breaking the item. In this way, much pressure is put on a thin area.

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  1. T

    What is the solution to Laplace's equation on a wedge?

    Homework Statement Find the solution of Laplace's equation for \phi(r,\theta) in the circular sector 0 < r < 1; 0 < \theta < \alpha with the boundary conditions \phi(r,0) = f(r), \phi(r,\alpha) = 0, \phi(1,\theta) = 0. (also, implicitly, the solution is bounded at r = 0). Use two different...
  2. B

    Determine the largest angle - wedge

    Homework Statement A small wedge is placed beneath corner B of the 4000-kg block of marble. Determine the largest angle θ for which the wedge is self-locking; that is, the wedge will not slide out from under the block. Neglect the mass of the wedge and the small angle between surface AB and...
  3. T

    Planewave scattering on metal wedge problem

    Hi, I need help with following problem: I need to solve scattering of the planewave incident on the metal wedge. Let's say that wave travels in $z$ direction. Angle of wedge is $\alpha$, it is formed in $x-z$ plane. Wedge is infinite in $y$ direction (metal corner, if $\alpha = \pi / 2$, it will...
  4. M

    Numerical Solutions to Laplace's equation in a wedge

    Hi all, I am trying to construct a numerical solution to the following linear harmonic problem posed in a wedge of interior angle 0<\alpha<pi/2 \bigtriangledown^2\phi(r,\theta), \ r>0, \ -\alpha<\theta<0 \bigtriangledown\phi\cdot\mathbf{n}=0, r>0,\ \theta=-\alpha...
  5. E

    Particle on a wedge relative acceleration

    Homework Statement A smooth wedge of mass 2m and slope 45 degrees is placed on a smooth horizontal surface. A particle of mass m is placed on the inclined face of the wedge. The system is released from rest. (i) Show on separate diagrams the forces acting...
  6. C

    About acceleration of block with respect to wedge and ground

    Hi friendz I have a problem. If a block of mass m is placed over the wedge such that there is no friction then what is the acceleration of block 1with respect to wedge 2 with respect to ground Pleas reply. Thanks in advance. My sir said that it is different.Is it so.
  7. H

    Moving wedge, conceptual problem

    Homework Statement For general values of m, M, theta, mu (coefficient of static fric) find the minimum force you need to apply to the wedge so that it just begins moving up the slope. Picture (little m represents mass on wedge, M is mass of wedge.) http://ompldr.org/vYmxraA Homework...
  8. Rasalhague

    Checking my understanding (re. wedge product) of a passage in Bishop & Goldberg

    Given that Bishop and Goldberg's definition of the exterior product is \alpha \wedge \beta := (\alpha \otimes \beta)_a where \omega_a(v_1,...,v_s):=\frac{1}{s!}\sum_{(i_1,...,i_s)}\text{sgn}(i_1,...,i_s)A(v_{i_1},...v_{i_s}), giving, in this case...
  9. N

    Force Exerted by a Wedge Supporting a Sphere

    Homework Statement A solid sphere of radius R and mass M is placed in a wedge. The inner surfaces of the wedge are frictionless. Determine force exerted at point A and point B. Homework Equations ƩF=0 Ʃτ=0 The Attempt at a Solution I'm pretty baffled about how to apply these...
  10. T

    Moving a wedge to the left

    the machine part ABC is supported by a frictionless hinge at B and a 10 degree wedge at C. Knowing that the coefficient of static friction is .20 at both surfaces of the wedge, determine (a) the force P required to move the wedge to the left, (b) the components of the corresponding reaction at...
  11. L

    Air wedge problem solving (single interference)

    Homework Statement 8 bright fringes are counted across 1.06 cm in the air wedge. Homework Equations Δx = L (λ/2t) The Attempt at a Solution i don't understand whether Δx is: 8Δx = 1.06cm or 7Δx = 1.06cm it said 8 bright fringes but Δx = the distance between...
  12. W

    Maxwell field wedge product basis

    Homework Statement The problem is to write it in terms on coordinate basis using the wedge product, F=F_{\mu\nu}dx^{\mu}\wedge dx^{\nu} from the basis with the tensor prdouct. Homework Equations The EM field strength tensor can be written, with a coordinate basis, F=F_{\mu\nu}dx^{\mu}\otimes...
  13. G

    Block Moving Down A Moving Wedge

    Homework Statement A mass of 5kg and wedge of 10kg are held at rest. All surfaces are frictionless. No outside forces are acting on the system. θ of the wedge is 30°. Once the block and wedge are let go, what happens to both objects? What is the acceleration of the block left/right and what...
  14. U

    Mass on wedge on incline problem

    Homework Statement The problem is provided in the pdf attachment Homework Equations I know how to solve frictionless problems with a single mass on an incline but this is just too advanced for me. (especially with two inclines of different angles) The Attempt at a Solution I drew...
  15. A

    Finding the Equation of c in a Moving Wedge with a Particle

    Homework Statement See Q2, Method 1 part c. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/316587_2275178233577_1072324659_2439905_368313036_n.jpg" I have obtain all eqtn I need but I cannot figure out how to get the equation of c. I...
  16. A

    Forces: Wedge and Block Problem + Pulley System Problem

    Homework Statement 9) A 15 kg wedge is pushed along a frictionless surface. There is no friction between the wedge and the block. What force, F, is required to keep the block from sliding up or down the wedge? See attachment for diagram. 10) Find the tension, T. See attachment for diagram...
  17. S

    Block and wedge system all details

    Homework Statement okay this isn't really a question, but i didnt knew where to post it, tell me if it has to be posted somewhere else. a pic of the diagram would help a lot. A block is kept on the top of a wedge of angle alpha, can u explain what all happens, keeping all surfaces...
  18. B

    How Does the Center of Mass Move in a Block and Wedge System?

    Homework Statement A large wedge rests on a horizontal frictionless surface. A block starts from rest and slides down the inclined surface of the wedge, which is rough. During the motion of the block, the center of mass of the block and wedge. a. does not move. b. moves horizontally with...
  19. J

    Exploring Wedge Products of Vectors

    I've learned that the wedge product is a product operation on two alternating tensors that yields another alternating tensor, but sometimes while surfing the net I see people using the wedge product for two vectors. For example, on the wiki page titled "Exterior algebra" it says that "using the...
  20. Darth Frodo

    Mass on a wedge. Relative acceleration.

    Homework Statement A particle of mass M is on a wedge of mass 2M. The wedge is smooth, and is inclined at 30* to the horizontal. The system is released from rest. Find the acceleration of the wedge, and find the acceleration of the particle relative to the wedge.Homework Equations F=ma The...
  21. J

    Block with friction on acc' wedge

    A block rests on a wedge inclined at an angle theta. The coefficient of friction between the block and the plane is mu. (a) Find the maximum value of theta for the block to remain motionless on the wedge when the wedge is fixed in position. (b) The wedge is given horizontal acceleration a, as in...
  22. P

    Calculating normal force for wedge

    Homework Statement Prove that normal force between a block and wedge is: N = m*sqrt(g^2-a^2) Homework Equations I used the pythagorean theorem to attempt this. The Attempt at a Solution See attached. Am I doing this right, or am I making up math here to fit the answer?
  23. J

    Acceleration of block on acc' wedge

    A 45 deg wedge is pushed along a table with constant acceleration A. A block of mass m slides without friction on the wedge find its acceleration. Clue if A=3g then \ddot{y} = g I'm not sure of the forces on the block, if A is parallel to the base of the wedge then what component of A acts...
  24. facenian

    Proving Non-Decomposability of Wedge Product in Higher Dimensional Vector Spaces

    I have this problem(from Tensor Analysis on Manyfolds by Bishop and Goldberg): prove that e_1^ e_2 + e_3^e_4 is not decomposable when the dimension of the vector space is greater than 3 and e_i are basis vectors. I solved it by mounting a set of 6 equations with 8 unknows and studying the...
  25. A

    How Does a Dielectric Wedge Affect Capacitor Performance?

    Homework Statement ______|______ ... ... ... ... ...... _____________ | ^ y | |_ _ > x This is supposed to be a capacitor with a dielectric in a form of a wedge in it. Known data: area A of the plates, permitivity \epsilon_r The...
  26. V

    Force Needed to Keep Mass on Wedge Stationary

    Homework Statement Hi, I'm new and I've been trying to figure this problem out forever. I can't even really say I've attempted a solution because I don't really undertand the concept very well. (I'm paraphrasing the question here) A wedge of mas M (1.00[kg]) is at rest on a flat horizontal...
  27. S

    Impact between human heel and orthotic wedge

    Please be gentle, I'm not a physicist, I'm a podiatrist trying to find the answer to a problem that has been confusing me! I hope you can help. In podiatry we often use foot orthoses in an attempt to alter the magnitude, location and timing of reaction forces at the foot's interface. A...
  28. A

    Thin Film interference: air wedge

    Homework Statement A pair of very flat glass plates, 7.41 cm long, touch at one end and are separated at the other end by a small piece of 44 gauge copper wire, 5.08×10−5 m in diameter. An air wedge is formed between the glass plates by this supporting wire. Light of wavelength 631 nm...
  29. S

    Trouble interpreting fictitious forces for block on wedge problem

    Homework Statement This is a standard block on wedge problem - we have an incline of angle \alpha, a block of mass m on wedge of mass M. The block is released from the inclined surface. The wedge is not fixed and can accelerate. The question is typical - find the horizontal accelerations...
  30. S

    Exploring the Wedge Product & its Role in Vectors & Orthogonality

    I think I finally understand the wedge product & think it explains things in 2-forms that have been puzzling me for a long time. My post consists of the way I see things regarding the wedge product & interspersed with my thoughts are only 3 questions (in bold!) that I'm hoping for some...
  31. C

    A block on a wedge which itself sliding

    Homework Statement A small block of mass m is sliding along the inclined slope of a wedge of mass M. The block slides without friction on the wedge and the wedge slides without friction on the floor. The slope on the wedge has an inclination \alpha with the floor. Homework Equations...
  32. G

    Dropping a ball onto a wedge, 2d elastic collisions.

    Homework Statement A ball is dropped straight down onto a wedge that is sitting on top of a frictionless surface. The wedge is at an angle of 45degreees and has a mass of 5.00kg. The ball has a mass of 3.00kg. If the ball collides with the wedge at 4.50m/s, and the collision is instantaneous...
  33. H

    Block on an accelerating wedge

    Hello, Homework Statement A 45o wedge is pushed along a table with constant acceleration A. A block of mass m slides without friction on the wedge. Find its acceleration in y direction. (Gravity directed down, acceleration due to gravity is g)...
  34. I

    Maximize Range of Dropped Ball from a Wedge

    Homework Statement I'm attaching a drawing depicting the problem, hopefully the mods will approve it soon. In words: A ball is dropped from some height h_0 and hits a point on a wedge at some angle \theta at some height up the wedge h^\prime. Optimize h^\prime and \theta for which the range is...
  35. R

    Volume by Slicing: A cylindrical wedge, help needed please

    Homework Statement Find the volume of curved wedge that is cut from a cylinder of radius 3m by two planes. One plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, the other plane crosses the first plane at a 45 degree angle at the centre of the cylinder. (Hint: let the line of intersection of the...
  36. T

    Flux through cylindrical wedge

    Homework Statement Given \textbf{F} = x\textbf{i} + y\textbf{j} + z\textbf{k}, what is the flux of \textbf{F} through the cylinder x^2 + y^2 =1 bounded by the planes z=0, x+y+z=2. The Attempt at a Solution By Gauss' Theorem, \int\int_{S}\textbf{F}\cdot d\textbf{S} =...
  37. C

    How Do You Correctly Draw Enantiomers of Ibuprofen?

    Homework Statement Draw the two enantiomers of ibuprofen using the correct dash and wedge bonds. Homework Equations (I was given a flat molecule like the one above.) The Attempt at a Solution I put a wedge from the asymmetric carbon to the hydrogen and a dash from the asymmetric carbon...
  38. D

    Interference Pattern from a wedge

    Hi. What I have is a wedge with a flat surface at the top which I have 632nm light incident normal to the surface. What I want to be able to do is measure theta of the wedge. I am having trouble drawing the connection of the formula I have directly to the optical path length difference...
  39. B

    Solving Block on a Wedge: Find Distance Slid by Triangle

    Homework Statement A triangular wedge 5 m high, 12 m base length, and with a 14 kg mass is placed on a frictionless table. A small block with a 5 kg mass (and negligible size) is placed on top of the wedge as shown in the figure below. All surfaces are frictionless, so the block slides down...
  40. A

    Wedge constant :- Newtons laws of motion

    what is wedge constant and where and how to use it?
  41. M

    Optics and a thin wedge

    I'm having trouble understanding this problem. I think I'm missing something or misunderstanding the question: A wedge-shaped film of air is made by placing a small slip of paper between the edges of two pieces of glass as shown below. Light of wave-length 600nm is incident normally on the...
  42. C

    Determining Smallest Value of n for Air Wedge Light Fringes

    Homework Statement A ray of light consisting of 2 monochromatic wavelengths, 550 nm and 672 nm, is incident on an air wedge. It is found that, at the nth bright fringe from the vertex of the air wedge for the 550 nm wave, a bright fringe for the 672 nm wave is also formed. Determine the...
  43. V

    Block sliding down wedge (w/ friction), wedge on frictionless floor

    Homework Statement A large Wedge with mass 10 kg rests on a horizontal frictionless surface (think right triangle on a unit circle, theta <90 deg.). A block with a mass of 5 kg starts at rest (near the top) and slides down the inclined surface of the wedge, which is rough (does this imply...
  44. N

    Calculating Area of a Wedge Cut from a Cylinder

    Hello! I've seen volume calculations involving cutting a wedge from a cylinder where the wedge cuts down to the centre of the circle (i.e. the length of the straight edge will be the diameter of the cylinder). I was looking for hints on working out the area of a wedge cut from a cylinder where...
  45. S

    Interference pattern formed by an air wedge.

    An air wedge is formed between two glass plates separated at one edge by a very fine wire. When the wedge is illuminated from above by a 600nm light and viewed from above, 30 dark fringes are observed. Calculate the radius of the wire. Am I correct to consider only the bottom surface of the top...
  46. N

    Solving the Laplace Equation on a Circular Wedge

    Homework Statement I need to solve the Laplace equation, u_rr + (1/r)u_r + (1/r^2)u_{theta}{theta} = 0, on a circular wedge with radius R, angle {alpha}, where u(r,0) = 0, u(R,{theta}) = 0, and u(r,{alpha}) = 50. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Separate variables -...
  47. G

    Interference of light - flat glass and an air wedge

    Homework Statement A fine hair separates one end of two pieces of flat glass to form and air wedge.when light of wavelength 670 nm is incident normally, 25 dark bands are observed (with one at each end).How thick is the hair? Homework Equations destructive interference: 2nt =...
  48. S

    What are the implications of a frictionless wedge with accelerating mass?

    Homework Statement A 2.0 kg mass rests on a frictionless wedge that has an acceleration of 15 m/s2 to the right. The mass remains stationary relative to the wedge, moving neither higher nor lower. (a) What is the angle of inclination, θ, of the wedge? (b) What is the magnitude of the...
  49. Z

    Block on a Wedge: Solving the 0N Equation

    Homework Statement http://uploadpie.com/7kzGG Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution The correct answer is A : 0N But my answer is B : 12 N Here is my attempt http://uploadpie.com/UUGwM I know I can consider the block and the wedge as one system and I can get the correct answer. But I...
  50. C

    Finding the Required Force for a Block on a Wedge

    Homework Statement A wedge with mass M rests on a frictionless horizontal tabletop. A block with mass m is placed on the wedge and a horizontal force F is applied to the wedge. What must the magnitude of F be if the block is to remain at a constant height above the tabletop? Homework...
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