Calculate Slide on a Slope

The acceleration is calculated as the gravitational acceleration (9.81 m/s²) multiplied by the sine of the angle of inclination.

Example: in ski jumping, where friction and air resistance are kept as low as possible during the run-down, a theoretical maximum speed of almost 128 km/h can be achieved with a slope angle of 40° and a length of 100 meters. Speeds actually achieved are around 90 km/h.

Even if you ignore friction, it does make a difference whether an object slides or rolls. When rolling, part of the energy is used for rotation; this energy is missing for the downward movement, the translation. When sliding, on the other hand, all of the energy is available for translation. Therefore, without friction, sliding is faster than rolling. With friction, it is often very different, since things that roll, especially balls, rest on the ground with far less surface area than things that slide. If, in the above example, you take a rough block of wood instead of the ski jumper with specially prepared skis, then it either does not move at all or only moves hesitantly. A wooden ball, on the other hand, starts rolling straight away, but does not reach the speed of the ski jumper at the takeoff.

Physics commonly uses SI units. Here is a calculator to convert units.