Finding the acceleration in this force problem

In summary, the problem involves finding the acceleration of two blocks, one on a frictionless surface and one on a surface with a coefficient of friction of μ. The equation to use is ΣF=ma, and to solve it, a standard method is to draw a Free Body Diagram for each block, assign variables to all forces, masses, and accelerations, and then write out the ΣF=ma equation for each block.
  • #1
knewman55
2
0

Homework Statement


m1 is on a frictionless surface and m2 is on a surface with a coefficient of friction of μ.
Find the acceleration of the blocks in terms of m1, m2, g, Ѳ, μ

Homework Equations


ΣF=a*m

The Attempt at a Solution


a=m2gsinѲ/m1+m2
is this correct??
 

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  • #2
knewman55 said:
is this correct??
No. What happened to the friction?
 
  • #3
How would I implement that?
 
  • #4
knewman55 said:
How would I implement that?
There is a standard way to proceed.
For each rigid body in the system, draw a Free Body Diagram.
Assign variables to all the forces, masses and accelerations on/of each.
Figure out any relationships between the forces on the different masses, likewise their accelerations.
Write out the ΣF=ma equation for each body.
 

Related to Finding the acceleration in this force problem

What is acceleration in a force problem?

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity. In a force problem, it refers to how quickly an object's speed or direction is changing due to the application of a force.

How do I find the acceleration in a force problem?

To find acceleration in a force problem, you can use the formula a = F/m, where a is the acceleration, F is the force applied, and m is the mass of the object. Alternatively, you can use Newton's second law, which states that the net force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration.

What units are used to measure acceleration?

The standard unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s^2). However, it can also be measured in other units such as feet per second squared (ft/s^2) or kilometers per hour squared (km/h^2).

How does acceleration affect an object's motion?

Acceleration can either speed up, slow down, or change the direction of an object's motion. If an object has a positive acceleration, it is speeding up, while a negative acceleration means it is slowing down. A change in direction is indicated by a change in the object's velocity vector.

Can an object have acceleration without any force acting on it?

According to Newton's first law of motion, an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue moving in a straight line at a constant speed unless acted upon by an external force. Therefore, an object cannot have acceleration without a force acting on it.

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