Basically, could I crudely imagine it like this, with the situation drawn upside down (see attachment)? If so, why do we necessarily need the pulley to rotate (as in attachment)? Why couldn't the pulley simply glide forward and have the string roll over its surface without the pulley having to...
Am I correct in imagining that when ##m_1## pulls on the horizontal pulley with enough force, the massless horizontal pulley glides to the left (with zero net force of course) and as it does the bottom part of the string around the horizontal pulley will start rolling over the horizontal pulley...
Thanks for the response. I'm asking how can the horizontal pulley be moved to the left if the string around it is anchored to the wall? How physically could it possibly be moved to the left by ##m_1## in order so that ##m_1## accelerate down if there is a string looping around the horizontal...
What I don't get is, given the setup in the original diagram, how can ##m_1## ever move? The right endpoint of the string attached to ##m_1## is fixed to the center of the horizontal pulley and the string around the horizontal pulley is itself anchored to the wall. If ##m_1## tries to accelerate...
Thanks jbriggs but it is not the mathematical derivation of the result that is confusing, the issue is essentially what dreamLord mentioned in the first sentence of post #10. It is the book's physical explanation. What does it even mean for the endpoint of stick b that is initially on the cliff...
Oops sorry yes I meant glued at the intersection point between stick b and stick L. I get your explanation but I don't get the books' explanation which is what I think is confusing the OP as well. The book's explanation is what I mentioned in post #7.
Yes indeed that is how it is depicted in the drawing, in the textbook mentioned by the OP; basically rotate the vertical stick by 90 degrees. The book says that this setup would have the CM free fall initially because the pivoted end of stick b would not yet "know" that the stick L has started...
Thank you for the response. I just don't get why there wouldn't be a vertical pivot force on the glued end of stick b when the stick L is placed horizontally, one which could affect the initial acceleration of the center of mass, but when the stick L is placed vertically there is a vertical...
I'm a bit confused by this as well. Regardless of if we place stick L horizontally or vertically, won't there be rotation of the system as the stick falls down? Is the difference that the setup with stick L being horizontal has no initial rotation and simply free falls initially whereas the...