Recent content by tonicandgin

thanks for the help. so far I have: a1 - ar = ap a2 + ar = ap where ar is the relative acceleration of each mass with the pulley. ( m1x1 + m2x2 ) / ( m1 + m2 ) is the center of mass of the system. if we take two time derivatives we get ( m1a1 + m2a2 ) / ( m1 + m2 ) which must equal...

thanks for the response. to clarify: what do you mean by "call the position of the pulley x"? is that its position before the force is applied and everything starts moving? or does x change as the system moves? what i have so far is: call position of the pulley x. call the length...

Homework Statement m1 and m2 are connected by a massless string wrapped around a massless pulley. An external force F is applied to the pulley. m1 does not equal m2 find the acceleration of each mass, the tension in the string, and the acceleration of the pulley. F external and m1 and...