I actually figured it out!
there were actually three different tensions so i added sum of forces equations for each of the masses then subsituted a couple times until acceleration was the only unknown!
ended up being a = (g(m3 - m4)) / (m1 + m2 + m3 + m4)
Homework Statement
An Atwood machine is constructed using two
wheels (with the masses concentrated at the
rims). The left wheel (m1) has a mass of 2.1 kg and
radius 21.44 cm. The right wheel (m2) has a mass
of 2.8 kg and radius 33.94 cm. The hanging
mass on the left (m3) is 1.53 kg and on...