Help with Force and Acceleration

[BMWPower06]

Problem 1:
An accelerometer - a device to measure acceleration - can be as simple as a small pendulum hanging in the cockpit. Suppose you are flying a small plane in a straight horizontal line and your accelerometer hangs α = 14.4° behind the vertical, as shown in the figure below.
http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/16073/2004469205105297433_rs.jpg

What is your acceleration at that time?
in the direction of motion

I figure you use F=MA for this, but there is no mass given... i don't even know where to begin, seeing that the only thing given is the angle.


Problem 2:

A fire helicopter carries a 561 kg bucket of water at the end of a 24.9 m long cable. Flying back from a fire at a constant speed of 43.6 m/s, the cable makes an angle of 48.4° with respect to the vertical. Determine the force of air resistance on the bucket.

This is like the last problem, i was able to find all the sides of the triangle which is made by the weight, but don't know what to do now.

And Problem 3:
A 2016-kg elevator moves with an upward acceleration of 1.86 m/s2. What is the tension in the cable that supports the elevator?
I used F=MA but it said the answer was wrong.

Thanks for the help.

 

[NDiggity]

Well for problem three the tension on the cable is the weight plus the force required to accelerate the elevator at 1.86m/s2.

 

[Doc Al]

Problem 1

I figure you use F=MA for this, but there is no mass given... i don't even know where to begin, seeing that the only thing given is the angle.

Yes, Newton's 2nd law is what you need here (and in all three problems). Start by identifying the forces acting on the pendulum bob and then apply Newton's law. (You don't need to know the mass.)

 

[BMWPower06]

Well for problem three the tension on the cable is the weight plus the force required to accelerate the elevator at 1.86m/s2.

so basically i do: (MA)+(2016*9.8)

Yes, Newton's 2nd law is what you need here (and in all three problems). Start by identifying the forces acting on the pendulum bob and then apply Newton's law. (You don't need to know the mass.)

The forces are velocity and air resistance? I am not really sure where to go from there?

 

[Doc Al]

The forces are velocity and air resistance? I am not really sure where to go from there?

Velocity is not a force; there's no air resistance in this problem.

Hint: Two forces act on the pendulum mass. What are they?

 

[BMWPower06]

Velocity is not a force; there's no air resistance in this problem.

Hint: Two forces act on the pendulum mass. What are they?

motion and gravity?

 

[Doc Al]

motion and gravity?

"Motion" is not a force. But gravity is. For the other force, consider the tension in the string that pulls on the mass.

Now consider the vertical and horizontal components of these forces. Apply Newton's 2nd law to each direction.

 

[BMWPower06]

"Motion" is not a force. But gravity is. For the other force, consider the tension in the string that pulls on the mass.

Now consider the vertical and horizontal components of these forces. Apply Newton's 2nd law to each direction.

ok so there is the Fg (force of gravity) which points straight down from the mass and Fn (normal force) points straight up. Then i labeled Fn as being 9.8 and having an angle of 75.6 deg. i set it up as being: sin(75.6)x = 9.8 where x= the string from the top to the mass. Is this right? I got 10.12 m/s^2 and it says that it is wrong.

 

[BMWPower06]

i got it. 2.52 m/s^2! now what do i do for the other 2? I am still stuck.

 

[Doc Al]

Problem 2

Problem 2:

A fire helicopter carries a 561 kg bucket of water at the end of a 24.9 m long cable. Flying back from a fire at a constant speed of 43.6 m/s, the cable makes an angle of 48.4° with respect to the vertical. Determine the force of air resistance on the bucket.

Again, identify all the forces acting on the object--the bucket in this case. Then apply Newton's 2nd law to the horizontal and vertical force components.

Hint: Three forces act on the bucket.