Since this problem is in the conservation of energy chapter, I think it's assuming friction is negligible.
However, if I approach it with forces, then I would say that the Fnet = 0 for all masses and then just analyze the forces on the mass in the middle to get an equation in terms of theta. If...
I don't think you can. If you have an enclosed triangle like the picture above, then sinθ = y/r.
r relates to x (the distance between the masses), so the angle changes with x.
The solution is an application of the law of conservation of energy.
Start with equation (1). The masses are in equilibrium and are not accelerating. This implies that ΔK = 0, because the kinetic energy will not change without acceleration. Thus, we are left to find equation (2) in terms of θ...
I think it's interesting that you are an active contributor on this forum despite your background and experience with physics academia. What keeps you in the community despite that?
Also, I am making an assumption here, but were you a comp sci undergrad? If so, what did the actual path look...
Thanks for your reply.
Was this just your personal experience, or did you know many people with this mindset?
And unfortunately, I don't have any ideas for letters of recommendation. I have my old bosses from my previous workplace (non-academic, out of field), but other than them, I don't...
After I finished my EE degree (Major/Cumul GPA: 3.6, mostly A's in math and physics) in December 2015, I began work as a programmer at an electric company for a couple of years. I saved up a good amount of money and established myself to the point where I have the free time to even think about...
As phinds said, this depends on you. I use his approach as well, but if you get stuck on a problem, then it helps to go back to the chapter and reread the area that concerns the problem's concepts. The concept you get stuck on really highlights what you don't know.
I earned straight A's in my physics and math courses in college, and I can safely say that no one is just "good at math." The ones who are "good at math" are the ones that simply practiced. They seem to just "get it" but they've done the work behind the scenes to understand the material. This...
Honestly, I really just want to be part of anything. I'm interested in a bit of everything. It doesn't necessarily have to be engineering. The only thing that's missing is exposure, so I can find out what I would truly like to pursue after my undergraduate.
Haha yes, obviously. I was more concerned if there were things that I MUST include when asking for things like this as an undergraduate. I figure our professors get a large volume of emails from other stars-in-their-eyes undergraduates, and I wanted to sort of know what they find "annoying" when...
I'm an EE undergrad senior here, and I want to get some work in at a research lab here on campus. I have a solid GPA and decent relationship with professors, and now I want to do some work. I've been trolling the faculty profiles (reading their research interests) to decide who I might want to...
It isn't until recently that I have really taken to heart the idea of really understanding and doing homework problems. I feel like I'm learning at a much more controlled pace if I work along with problems in a book (example: solving them before reading the solution), but aside from this, is...