The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving three boxes in contact on a frictionless surface, with a force applied to the third box. The masses of the boxes are given, and the objective is to determine the acceleration of the boxes and the magnitudes of the contact forces between them.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the forces involved. Some have provided calculations for acceleration and specific contact forces, while others question the consistency of these values and the direction of forces. There is no explicit consensus on the contact forces' magnitudes or directions.
Participants are working under the assumption of a frictionless surface and are considering the effects of applied and normal forces. There is uncertainty regarding the definitions of net force and contact forces, as well as how to represent them in free body diagrams.
Please show your work. You first need to look at the entire system of 3 boxes to solve for the acceleration using Newton 2. Then look at each box separately in a free body diagram, noting any contact normal or applied forces in the x direction, and use Newton 2 again for each box. They all move together, so each has the same acceleration. The contact forces are not the same.pb23me said:I think I've figured the problem out just not sure if the contact forces are all the same magnitude?