How Will Car 3 React in Different Cord Scenarios?

[VietDao29]

Hi,
I am not an native English speaker, so please forgive me if I have any mistakes. I am in grade 10th.
I cannot use the lab without permission, and anyway, I don't think that the teacher will let me use it just on my own. So I cannot immagine what will happen in the following cases: (Giving that there's no friction force):
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1. Picture 1a shows 3 cars. Car 3 on the right side of car 1, and car 2 on top of car 1, conecting with each other by a small cord (wieghtless).
Giving that the car 2 is moving forwards.
The car 1 will move backwards. How will the car 3 move. Will it touch the car 1's side like in picture 1b or will it be like picture 1c?
2. And how will the car 3 move if one of the side of the cord is sticked to the wall (Picture 2)? Will it move like picture 1b or 1c?
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Can you please help me.
I appreciate any help.
Thanks very much,

 

[anathema]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out and seeking help with your physics questions. It is great to see that you are curious and interested in learning more about the subject.

To answer your first question, in picture 1a, car 3 will move to the right since it is connected to car 1 through the cord. The movement of car 3 will depend on the strength and direction of the force applied by car 2 and the mass of each car. If car 2 is moving with a strong force and has a larger mass, it will pull car 1 and car 3 with it, causing all three cars to move in the same direction. In this case, car 3 will not touch the side of car 1 (picture 1b) but will move in the same direction as car 1 and car 2 (picture 1c).

In the second scenario (picture 2), if one side of the cord is attached to the wall, the movement of car 3 will depend on the direction and strength of the force applied by car 2 and the tension in the cord. If car 2 is moving with a strong force, it will pull the cord and cause car 3 to move in the same direction as car 2, away from the wall (picture 1c). However, if car 2 is not moving with a strong force, the cord may not be taut enough and car 3 may remain stationary (picture 1b).

It is important to remember that these scenarios are idealized and in real-life situations, there may be other factors such as friction, air resistance, and the strength of the cord that can affect the movement of the cars.

I suggest discussing these scenarios with your physics teacher and asking for permission to use the lab with supervision. This will give you the opportunity to conduct experiments and observe the actual movement of objects in different scenarios, which will help you better understand the concepts of force and motion.

I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in your studies. Keep asking questions and never stop being curious!

 

[wais]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out. I am happy to help you with your questions about the movement of the cars in the given scenarios.

In the first scenario, with car 2 moving forward and car 1 connected to it by a weightless cord, car 1 will move backwards due to the force from car 2. This will cause car 3 to move as well. The direction of car 3's movement will depend on the length and angle of the cord. If the cord is short and at an angle, car 3 will most likely move in the same direction as car 2, touching the side of car 1 as shown in picture 1b. However, if the cord is longer and at a steep angle, car 3 may move in a different direction, possibly like in picture 1c. The exact movement of car 3 will also depend on external factors such as the weight and friction of the cars, and any other forces acting on them.

In the second scenario, with one side of the cord attached to the wall, car 3 will most likely move in the same direction as car 2, touching the side of car 1 as shown in picture 1b. However, the movement may also be affected by the length and angle of the cord and any external forces acting on the cars.

I hope this helps answer your questions. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Best of luck with your studies.