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Homework Statement
A 1.5 kg block and a 2.5 kg block are attached to opposite ends of a light rope. The rope hangs over a solid, frictionless pulley that is 30 cm in diameter and has a mass of .75 kg. When the blocks are released, what is the acceleration of the lighter rock?
Homework Equations
alpha= net torque/moment of intertia
F=ma
The Attempt at a Solution
I know Newton's law for the 1.5 kg block is T-W=ma and for the 2.5 kg block is T-W=-ma now the problem is the pulley. How do I calculate this torque with the signs correctly? Won't this vary depending on how I draw the diagram? Since the pulley has mass, the tensions on the both sides of the rope are not equal. Can someone please help me? I don't know how to go about finding the torque for the pulley.