A 2 kg block slides up a 10 m long, 5 m high smooth incline. If it starts and ends at rest, what is the work done by non-conservative forces?

To find the work done by the non-conservative force, we can use the Work-Energy Theorem, which states that the work done by non-conservative forces ($W_{nc}$) is equal to the change in the total mechanical energy ($\Delta E_{mech}$). The change in mechanical energy is the sum of the change in kinetic energy ($\Delta KE$) and the change in gravitational potential energy ($\Delta PE_g$).

Since the problem states the incline is "smooth," there is no friction. The non-conservative force $F_{nc}$ is the only non-conservative force acting. The problem does not specify any initial or final velocity, so we assume the block starts from rest at the bottom and ends at rest at the top, meaning the change in kinetic energy is zero ($\Delta KE = 0$).