Can you help me find what a = on this problem?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving acceleration, specifically related to blocks and forces. The original poster expresses uncertainty about the problem setup and the equations needed to find the acceleration 'a'.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the identification of which block has the acceleration 'a' and question the original poster's interpretation of the problem. There are attempts to derive equations based on previous similar problems, and some participants express confusion about the calculations and assumptions made regarding the coefficients of friction.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of the equations related to the problem, with some participants offering equations and others questioning their validity. Multiple interpretations of the acceleration value are being discussed, but no consensus has been reached regarding the correct approach or final answer.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the lack of clarity in the problem statement and the reliance on previous examples provided by the teacher. There is also mention of different coefficients of friction being considered in the calculations.

shin777
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550615.jpg


Sorry about bad picture. I did best I could but I am not sure that's how I do this problem.
If I am wrong can you give me right equations for this? Thank you. :)
 
Last edited:
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about a

can you specify which block has acceleration 'a'.
 
i have no clue. That's how my teacher wrote the problem as take home problem. He just had pictures and what is a = ? I think he meant total acceleration. He gave us similar problems few weeks ago but it was on two boxes without mk instead of box and triangle with mk. So I used formula to find acceleration of each blocks and found T1 and T2 and then applied to same formula he used on the problem he did few weeks ago. :(
 
a

a should be 15/4.
(i used g=10 not 9.8)
the acceleration of each block is the same.
 
Last edited:
hmm.. 15/4? how did you end up with that?
 
explanation

T1=10a
T2-10gsin30=10a
20g-(T1+T2)=20a

solve these to find "a".
 
err.. I can't really tell how your equation works with that 3 short equations. Did you use mk = .1 and mk = .2 on each side to get the answer?
 
reply

do you know the Newtons second law.
ƩFx=max
ƩFy=may

first draw the free body diagram of each block and then apply these eqns to get my above eqns
 
but you sure it's 15/4 not 15/40? when I plug in my t1 and t2 and solve for a using your 3 line equation, I get 15/40
 
  • #10
yes

yes it is 15/4 only
 
  • #11
yes

thats correct
 

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