A question on Newton's laws and tension

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the tension in the coupling between two carriages being pulled by a railway engine with uniform acceleration. The initial poster struggles to understand the problem and has not arrived at the correct answer of T/2. A suggestion is made to draw two free body diagrams and apply Newton's laws to establish simultaneous equations for the two unknowns, T_12 and acceleration (a). This approach is essential for solving the problem accurately. Understanding the relationship between the forces acting on both carriages is crucial for determining the tension.
Charismaztex
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Homework Statement



A railway engine pulls two carriages of equal mass with uniform acceleration. The tension in the coupling between the engine and the first carriage is T. Deduce the tension in the coupling between the first and second carriages.

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



I have tried drawing free body diagrams but have not fully understood how this problem works. I can't seem to get the correct answer T/2.


Any help appreciated,
Charismaztex
 
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You have 2 unknowns (T_12 and a) , so you'll need to draw 2 free body diagrams, apply Newton's laws, and solve the simultaneous equations. Which 2 did you choose?
 

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