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emr13
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Homework Statement
In space in the absence of gravity, there is a post of "infinite mass," meaning that the post is fixed or "nailed down" and cannot move. A ball of mass m1 is connected to the post by a cable of negligible mass of length L1. A second ball of mass m2 is connected to the first ball by a second cable of negligible mass of length L2. The entire contraption (except for the post) is moving around the post in a perfect circle with a constant angular speed ω2 (in radians per unit time). Find the tension in each cable.
Homework Equations
F = ma= mv2/r = mω2r
The Attempt at a Solution
So there is a cable tension (T1) acting on the ball with mass m1 and then a cable tension (T2) acting on the ball with mass m2.
This is what I have, and I'm wondering if it is correct. There is no movement or force in the y-direction at all, so I think only the x-components matter...but if I include cosθ, then there's a denominator of zero, so I'm guess that's not supposed to be there. Are these correct then?
For cable of length L1, T=m1ω2L1
For cable of length L2, T=m2ω2(L1+L2)