Relaxed spring between two carts

In summary, the 8kg cart is pulled with a horizontal force causing the separation between the two carts to increase briefly before stabilizing. Using the equation F=k*deltaX, the spring is stretched with a force of 30N. However, this does not accurately represent the force needed to accelerate the entire system, as the smaller cart only experiences a force of 30N while the larger cart must also be taken into account. Therefore, further analysis is needed to determine the actual pulling force exerted on the 8kg cart.
  • #1
um20018
3
0

Homework Statement


A 2.0-kg cart and an 8.0-kg cart are connected by a relaxed, horizontal spring of spring constant300 N/m. You pull the 8.0-kg cart with some constant horizontal force. The separation between the carts increases for a short time interval, then remains constant as you continue to pull and the spring is stretched by 0.100 m.
I need to find out what pulling force was exerted on the 8kg cart.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 
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  • #2
Hi um20018. http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/5725/red5e5etimes5e5e45e5e25.gif

I need to find out what pulling force was exerted on the 8kg cart.

So how will you go about it? What equations will you need?
 
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  • #3
Knowing that F=k*deltaX I figure that the spring is stretched with a force of 30N. But that answer doesn't seem to be right. I know it must have something to do with the other mass at the end of the spring but I don't know how that would relate.
 
  • #4
Consider a Free Body Diagram of the smaller cart first. What force is acting on it? What's the resulting acceleration of that cart? Can you conclude anything about the acceleration of the system as a whole (once the spring stretching has stabilized as described)?
 
  • #5
The force acting on the smaller cart is from the spring, and equals 30N. The acceleration of that cart would be 15 m/s^2. The acceleration of the system after the spring stretching has stabilized would be, I think, the same as just the small block because the system would be moving as a whole.
 
  • #6
um20018 said:
The force acting on the smaller cart is from the spring, and equals 30N. The acceleration of that cart would be 15 m/s^2. The acceleration of the system after the spring stretching has stabilized would be, I think, the same as just the small block because the system would be moving as a whole.
Right. So what force do you need to apply to the whole system to make it accelerate at that rate?
 

Related to Relaxed spring between two carts

1. How does the relaxed spring between two carts work?

The relaxed spring between two carts is a physical system that involves two carts connected by a spring with no external forces acting on it. The spring maintains a constant tension, allowing the carts to move back and forth without any external force.

2. What is the purpose of a relaxed spring between two carts?

The purpose of a relaxed spring between two carts is to demonstrate the principles of energy conservation and harmonic motion. It also serves as a simple model to understand the behavior of more complex systems such as mass-spring systems.

3. How does the spring's tension affect the motion of the carts?

The tension of the spring affects the motion of the carts by providing a restoring force that pulls the carts back to their equilibrium position when they are displaced. The greater the tension, the stronger the restoring force, and the faster the carts will oscillate.

4. Can the relaxed spring between two carts be used to study other physical concepts?

Yes, the relaxed spring between two carts can also be used to study concepts such as Hooke's law, potential and kinetic energy, and simple harmonic motion. It can also be used to investigate the effects of changing parameters such as the mass of the carts and the stiffness of the spring on the system's behavior.

5. How does friction affect the motion of the relaxed spring between two carts?

Friction affects the motion of the relaxed spring between two carts by dissipating energy and reducing the amplitude of the carts' oscillations. This can be observed as the carts gradually come to a stop due to the conversion of kinetic energy into heat energy.

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