About this tool
Inclined Plane Calculator is a free, in-browser tool that resolves the forces on a mass resting on a ramp and predicts how fast it accelerates down the slope. Enter the mass, the incline angle and an optional coefficient of friction; the ramp's mechanical advantage as a simple machine is shown too. Everything is computed locally and nothing is uploaded.
Gravity is split into a component along the ramp, m·g·sinθ, and one pressing into it, giving the normal force N = m·g·cosθ (g = 9.81 m/s²). Friction opposes motion with f = μ·N, so the net force down the slope is m·g·sinθ − f and the acceleration is a = g·(sinθ − μ·cosθ). If friction is large enough to cancel the pull, the object does not move and the acceleration is zero. The ramp's ideal mechanical advantage is 1 ÷ sinθ — a gentler slope lets a smaller force raise the same load over a longer distance.
Use it for physics homework, ramp and conveyor design, or to judge whether a load will slide. With μ left at zero you get the classic frictionless result a = g·sinθ.