- #1
kudoushinichi88
- 129
- 2
Homework Statement
A yo-yo is made from two uniform disks, each with mass m and radius R, connected by a light axle of radius b. A light, thin string is wound several times around the axle and then held stationary while the yo-yo is released from rest, dropping as the string unwinds. Find the linear acceleration of the yo-yo.
Homework Equations
[itex]
\tau=TR=I\alpha[/itex]
[itex]
F=ma[/itex]
The Attempt at a Solution
[itex]\tau=TR=I\alpha[/itex]
[itex]Tb=2\left(\frac{1}{2}mR^2\right)\alpha[/itex]
since [itex]a_{tan}=r\alpha[/itex],substituted into the equation above and simplified,
[itex]
Tb=mRa[/itex] ...1
The yo-yo is accelerating downwards linearly, so
[itex]
2mg-T=2ma[/itex] ...2
Solving for T in eq.1 and substituting into eq.2,
[itex]
2mg-\frac{mRa}{b}=2ma[/itex]
Solving for a, I got
[itex]
a=\frac{2g}{2+R/b}[/itex]
which is not the right answer... the correct answer is
[itex]
a=\frac{2g}{2+(R/b)^2}[/itex]
what did I do wrong??