Physics Technology Update (4th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32190-308-0
ISBN 13: 978-0-32190-308-2

Chapter 6 - Applications of Newton's Laws - Problems and Conceptual Exercises - Page 186: 103

Answer

$T_1=(\frac{m_1m_3}{m_1+m_2+m_3})g$; $T_2=[\frac{m_3(m_1+m_2)}{m_1+m_2+m_3}]g$

Work Step by Step

We can find the required tension in the strings as follows: For block 1 $\Sigma F=0$ $\implies T_1-m_1a=0$.....eq(1) For block 2 $\Sigma F=0$ $\implies -T_1+T_2-m_2a=0$....eq(2) For block 3 $\Sigma F=0$ $\implies -T_2+m_3g-m_3a=0$......eq(3) Adding eq(1),eq(2) and eq(3), we obtain: $m_3g=(m_1+m_2+m_3)a$ This simplifies to: $a=\frac{m_3g}{m_1+m_2+m_3}$ We plug in this value of $a$ in eq(1) to obtain: $T_1=(\frac{m_1m_3}{m_1+m_2+m_3})g$ This is the tension between $m_1$ and $m_2$. Now we find the tension between $m_2$ and $m_3$, that is: $T_2=m_3(g-a)$ $\implies T_2=m_3(g-\frac{m_3g}{m_1+m_2+m_3})$ $T_2=[\frac{m_3(m_1+m_2)}{m_1+m_2+m_3}]g$
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