PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013

The Laws of Motion

1. An object of mass m
1
= 55.00 kg placed on a frictionless, horizontal table is
connected to a string that passes over a pulley and then is fastened to a hanging
object of mass m
2
= 59.00 kg as shown in Figure 1.
(a) Draw free-body diagrams of both objects.
(b) Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the objects
(c) Find the tension in the string.
(d) If there is a friction
k
= 0.2 on the surface, repeat the part a ,b, c, d
Solutions:
(a) Free-Body Diagrams (Notice the chosen directions for acceleration)
(b) Applying the second law for m
1
F
x
= T = m
1
a (1)
F
y
= n m
1
g = 0 (2)
for m
2
F
x
= 0 (3)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
F
y
= m
2
g T = m
2
a (4)
from (1) and (4)
m
2
g m
1
a = m
2
a
m
2
g = (m
1
+ m
2
)a
a =
m
2
(m
1
+ m
2
)
g (5)
m
1
= 55kg and m
2
= 59kg and g = 9.81ms
2
a =
59kg
59kg + 55kg
9.81ms
2
= 5.08ms
2
(c) To nd the tension we may use (1)
T = m
1
a = 55kg 5.08ms
2
= 279.4N
(d) Free-Body diagram when friction exists between the surfaces
for m
1
F
x
= T f
k
= m
1
a ; f
k
=
k
n (6)
F
y
= m
1
g n = 0 n = m
1
g (7)
from (6) and (7)
T
k
m
1
g = m
1
a (8)
for m
2
F
x
= 0 (9)
F
y
= m
2
g T = m
2
a (10)
Now we add (8) and (10)
m
2
g
k
m
1
g = (m
1
+ m
2
)a
a =
(m
2

k
m
1
)
m
1
+ m
2
g (11)
a =
(59kg 0.2 55kg) 9.81ms
2
55kg + 59kg
= 4.13ms
2
and for tension we may use (10)
T = m
2
(g a) = 59kg (9.81ms
2
4.13ms
2
) = 335.12N
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(e)
2. Two objects are connected by a light string that passes over a frictionless pulley
as shown in Figure P2. Assume the incline is frictionless and take m
1
= 2.00 kg,
m
2
= 6.00 kg, and = 55
(a) Draw free-body diagrams of both objects.
(b) Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the objects
(c) Find the tension in the string.
(d) Find the speed of each object 2.00 s after it is released from rest.
(e) If there is a friction
k
= 0.2 on the surface, repeat the part a ,b, c, d
Solutions:
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(a) Free-Body Diagram (Notice the chosen directions for acceleration)
(b) Apply the second law for m
1
F
x
= 0 (12)
F
y
= T m
1
g = m
1
a (13)
for m
2
F
x
= m
2
g sin T = m
2
a (14)
F
y
= n m
2
g cos = 0 (15)
Adding (13) and (14) we get
m
2
g sin m
1
g = (m
1
+ m
2
)a
a =
(m
2
sin m
1
)
m
1
+ m
2
g (16)
a =
(6kg sin55 2kg)
2kg + 6kg
9.81ms
2
= 3.57ms
2
(c) To calculate tension we use (13)
T = m
1
(g + a) = 2kg (9.81ms
2
+ 3.57ms
2
) = 26.8N
(d) For both objects we have v
i
= 0 and we may use v
f
= v
i
+ at
v
f
= at = 3.57ms
2
2.00s = 7.14ms
1
(e) Free-Body Diagram:
We now apply the second law to m
1
and m
2
when the incline is frictionless.
for m
1
F
x
= 0 (17)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
F
y
= T m
1
g = m
1
a (18)
and for m
2
F
x
= m
2
g sin T f
k
= m
2
g ; f
k
=
k
n (19)
F
y
= n m
2
g cos = 0 n = m
2
g cos (20)
from (19) and (20)
m
2
g sin T
k
m
2
g cos = m
2
a (21)
Adding (18) and (21) results in
m
2
g sin
k
m
2
g cos m
1
g = (m
1
+ m
2
)a
a =
m
2
(sin
k
cos ) m
1
m
1
+ m
2
g (22)
a =
6kg(sin55 0.2 cos 55) 2kg
2kg + 6kg
9.81ms
2
= 2.73ms
2
from (18)
T = m
1
(g + a) = 2kg (9.81ms
2
+ 2.73ms
2
) = 25.08N
Its speed at t = 2.00s is
v
f
= at = 2.73ms
2
2.00s = 5.46ms
1
(f)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
3. A woman at an airport is pulling her 20.0-kg suitcase at constant speed by
pulling on a strap at an angle above the horizontal. She pulls on the strap with
a 35.0-N force, and the friction force on the suitcase is 20.0N.
(a) Draw a freebody diagram of the suitcase.
(b) What angle does the strap make with the horizontal?
(c) What is the magnitude of the normal force that the ground exerts on the
suitcase?
Solutions:
(a) Free-Body Diagram
(b) Apply the second law to the suitcase but note that the right-hand side of
the equation on the horizontal must be zero since the suitcase is moved at
constant speed.
F
x
= F cos f
k
= 0 cos =
f
k
F
(23)
cos =
20.0N
35.0N
= 0.57 = arccos (0.57) = 55.15

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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(c) Write the second law on the vertical
F
y
= n + F sin mg = 0 (24)
n = (20.0kg)(9.81ms
2
) 35.0N sin (55.15) = 167.5N
4. Two blocks connected by a rope of negligible mass are being dragged by a hor-
izontal force (Fig. P4). Suppose F = 68.0 N, m
1
= 12 kg, m
2
= 18 kg and
the coefcient of kinetic friction between each block and the surface is 0.100 .
(a) Draw a free-body diagram for each block.
(b) Determine the acceleration of the system.
(c) Determine the tension T in the rope.
Solutions:
(a) Free-Body Diagram
(b) Apply the second law to each block separately.
For m
1
F
x
= T f
k
1
= m
1
a ; f
k
1
=
k
n
1
(25)
F
y
= n
1
m
1
g = 0 n
1
= m
1
g (26)
from (25) and (26) we have
T
k
m
1
g = m
1
a (27)
for m
2
F
x
= F T f
k
2
= m
2
a ; f
k
2
=
k
n
2
(28)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
F
y
= n
2
m
2
g = 0 n
2
= m
2
g (29)
from (28) and (29)
F T
k
m
2
g = m
2
a (30)
We now add (27) and (30) to obtain
F
k
g(m
1
+ m
2
) = (m
1
+ m
2
)a
a =
F
k
g(m
1
+ m
2
)
m
1
+ m
2
(31)
a =
68.0N (0.100)(9.81ms
2
)(12.0kg + 18.0kg)
12.0kg + 18.0kg
= 1.29ms
2
(c) From (27)
T = (
k
g + a)m
1
= [(0.100)(9.81ms
2
) + 1.29ms
2
] 12.0kg = 27.3N
5. In Fig. 5, a tin of antioxidants (m
1
= 1.0kg) on a frictionless inclined surface
is connected to a tin of corned beef (m
2
= 2.0kg). The pulley is massless and
frictionless. An upward force of magnitude F = 6.0N acts on the corned beef
tin, which has a downward acceleration of 5.5m/s
2
.
(a) What is the tension in the connecting cord ?
(b) What is the angle ?
Solutions:
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(a) To work out tension we apply the second law to m
2
.
F
x
= 0 (32)
F
y
= m
2
g T F = m
2
a T = (g a)m
2
F (33)
T = (9.81ms
2
5.5ms
2
)(2.0kg) 6.0N = 2.62N
(b) To nd the angle apply the second law to m
1
.
F
x
= T + m
1
g sin = m
1
a sin =
m
1
a T
m
1
g
(34)
sin =
(1.0kg)(5.5ms
2
) 2.62N
1.0kg 9.81ms
2
= 0.3
= Arcsin(0.3) = 17.1

(35)
Note that applying the second law for the vertical direction gives us infor-
mation which is of no benet for this particular problem.
6. In Figure P6, the pulleys and the cord are light, all surfaces are frictionless, and
the cord does not stretch.
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(a) Howdoes the acceleration of block 1 compare with the acceleration of block
2?
(b) The mass of block 2 is 1.30 kg. Find its acceleration as it depends on the
mass m
1
of block 1. Evaluate your answer for m
1
= 0.550kg.
(c) What If? What does the result of part (b) predict if m
1
is very much less
than 1.30 kg?
(d) What does the result of part (b) predict if m
1
approaches innity?
(e) In this last case, what is the tension in the long cord?
(f) Could you anticipate the answers to parts (c), (d), and (e) without rst do-
ing part (b)? Explain.
Solutions:
(a) The moving pulley has an acceleration a
2
. Since m
1
moves twice the dis-
tance this pulley moves in the same time, m
1
has twice the acceleration of
the pulley. Hence a
1
= 2a
2
(b)
m
2
g T
2
= m
2
a
2
(36)
T
1
= m
1
a
1
(37)
T
2
2T
1
= 0 (38)
from (36), (37), and (38) and the fact that a
1
= 2a
2
a
2
=
m
2
m
2
+ 4m
1
g (39)
a
2
=
1.30kg
1.30kg + 4 0.550kg
9.81ms
2
= 3.64ms
2
(40)
(c) If m
1
is very much less than m
2
= 1.30kg then the term in (39) including m
1
is negligible compared to m
2
and hence the acceleration of m
2
approaches
g = 9.81ms
2
.
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(d) If m
1
approaches innity in (39) a
2
will approach zero.
(e) If a
2
approaches zero in (36) T
2
= m
2
g and from (38) T
1
=
1
2
m
2
g.
(f) In case (c) since m
1
is negligible compared to m
2
we can simply conclude
that m
2
freely falls with g. In (d) an innitely massive block, m
1
, does not
let the other block move so it is predictable that the acceleration a
2
is zero.
And nally in case (e) since the block 2 is stationary the forces ,weight and
tension, acting on it must balance and knowing the fact that T
2
= 2T
1
the
same conclusion as we did in (e) comes out and that is T
1
=
1
2
m
2
g.
7. What horizontal force must be applied to a large block of mass M shown in Fig-
ure 7 so that the tan blocks remain stationary relative to M? Assume all surfaces
and the pulley are frictionless. Notice that the force exerted by the string acceler-
ates m
2
.
Solutions:
F = (M + m
1
+ m
2
)a (41)
for m
1
T = m
2
a (42)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
for m
2
T m
1
g = 0 (43)
Eliminating T we get
m
2
a m
1
g = 0 a =
m
1
m
2
g (44)
for the entire system
F = (M + m
1
+ m
2
)(
m
1
m
2
)g (45)
8. Acar accelerates down a hill (Fig. P 8), going fromrest to 30.0m/s in 6.00 s. Atoy
inside the car hangs by a string from the cars ceiling. The ball in the gure rep-
resents the toy, of mass 0.100 kg. The acceleration is such that the string remains
perpendicular to the ceiling.
(a) Determine the angle ?
(b) Determine the tension in the string?
Solutions:
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
(a) Choosing x axis pointing down the slope
v
f
= v
i
+ at
30.0ms
1
= 0 + a(6.00ms
2
) a = 5.00ms
2
F
x
= mg sin = ma sin =
a
g
(46)
sin =
5.00ms
2
9.81ms
2
= 0.51 = Arcsin(0.51) = 30.7

(b)
F
y
= T mg cos = 0 (47)
T = (0.100kg)(9.81ms
2
) cos (30.7) = 0.843N
9. The two blocks (m = 16.0kg) and (M = 88.0kg) in Fig. 9 are not attached to each
other.The coefcient of static friction between the blocks is
k
= 0.38, but the
surface beneath the larger block is frictionless. What is the minimum magnitude
of the horizontal force required to keep the smaller block fromslipping down the
larger block?
Solutions:
F = (m + M)a a =
F
m + M
(48)
for m
F
y
= mg f
s
max
= 0 ; f
s
max
=
s
n n =
mg

s
(49)
F
x
= F n = ma (50)
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PHYS101 The Laws of Motion Fall 2012/2013
from (43), (44), and (45)
F =
(m + M)mg
M
s
(51)
F =
(16.0kg + 88.0kg) 16.0kg 9.81ms
2
88.0kg 0.38
= 488N
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