Calculating Acceleration and Tension in a Rope and Pulley System

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving a rope and pulley system where a motorcycle is accelerated using a large mass. The participants are tasked with determining the acceleration of the motorcycle and the tension in the rope, given that friction is negligible.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between tension and acceleration, questioning how to derive these values without initial information on tension. Some suggest calculating the net force based on the gravitational force acting on the mass involved.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights into the problem setup and questioning the relevance of certain parameters. There is a focus on clarifying the context of the question and the assumptions being made, particularly regarding the ramp and the forces at play.

Contextual Notes

There is confusion regarding the angle of the ramp, with one participant noting that it is not mentioned in the problem statement. Additionally, there is a suggestion to differentiate between the masses involved to avoid confusion in calculations.

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Homework Statement


An environmentally-sensitive daredevil wants to use a large mass, a rope, and a pulley to accelerate toward ramp while his motorcycle is in neutral, as shown below. If friction is negligible, what will the acceleration of the motorcycle be and the tension of the rope?

TvEAo.jpg


Homework Equations



guy: Ft = ma

weight: Ft - mg = ma

I think...

The Attempt at a Solution



I don't know how to get acceleration because I don't know Ft...
 
Last edited:
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Does the question want you to calculate his accelerate on the ramp, or before it? Either way, you can't calculate tension right off the bat. The net force is going to equal the force of gravity on the 950kg mass. Divide that force by the system mass and you should get the acceleration before the ramp.
 
fLambda said:
Does the question want you to calculate his accelerate on the ramp, or before it? Either way, you can't calculate tension right off the bat. The net force is going to equal the force of gravity on the 950kg mass. Divide that force by the system mass and you should get the acceleration before the ramp.

I'm not sure, it just asks for acceleration, I still need help with this question.
 
Where does the 10 degrees come from? I don't see that in the question. If it's the slope of the ramp, that's not relevant. The question only asks you to consider circumstances before the ramp is reached, and nothing else is touching the ramp. The string is either horizontal or vertical.
The most obvious way to approach the question (not necessarily the most elegant) is to consider the weight and the motorcycle-with-rider as two separate systems but with certain parameters in common. Each has a set of forces and an acceleration. Which of these do they share? Can you write down the free body equation for each?
 
haruspex said:
Where does the 10 degrees come from? I don't see that in the question. If it's the slope of the ramp, that's not relevant. The question only asks you to consider circumstances before the ramp is reached, and nothing else is touching the ramp. The string is either horizontal or vertical.
The most obvious way to approach the question (not necessarily the most elegant) is to consider the weight and the motorcycle-with-rider as two separate systems but with certain parameters in common. Each has a set of forces and an acceleration. Which of these do they share? Can you write down the free body equation for each?

Sorry! The 10 degrees came from a different question, I looked off the wrong question, I've fixed it now.
 
PhysicsNoob76 said:
guy: Ft = ma
weight: Ft - mg = ma
Using the same m for both masses is going to be confusing. Use a different name for each different variable.
Also, make sure you're measuring accelerations all in the same direction.
 

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