How Do You Calculate T2 in a System of Three Blocks on a Frictionless Surface?

[jeremy04]

Homework Statement

Three blocks on a frictionless surface are connected by massless strings, with
M1 = 1.80 kg,
M2 = 2.30 kg, and
M3 = 3.70 kg.
Due to the force F acting on M3, as shown, the system accelerates to the right.
Given that T1 is 3.30 N, calculate T2

Homework Equations

F=ma

The Attempt at a Solution

I got 1.83 m/s^2 for T1's acceleration...

The only thing is, how do I know that's the same accleration for all of em..

or is that implied?

Then I thought to add masses of M1 and M2, and use the accerlation and get the force??



oh yeah forgot to say "Hi I'm new to the forum!"

 

[jeremy04]

nevermind I got it :) I like this forum its nice!

 

[m2003]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I would like to provide a response to your question.

First of all, great job on attempting to solve the problem and thinking about the relevant equations! It's always important to start by identifying the given information and determining what is being asked for in the question.

In this case, we are given the masses of three blocks and the force acting on one of them. We are also told that the system accelerates to the right, which implies that all the blocks are accelerating with the same acceleration. This is because the blocks are connected by massless strings, which means they are all moving together as one system. Therefore, the acceleration of one block is the same as the acceleration of the entire system.

Now, to solve for T2, we can use the equation F=ma. We know the force acting on M3 and we can calculate the acceleration of the system using the mass of all three blocks. Once we have the acceleration, we can use it to calculate the tension in the strings T1 and T2 using the equation T=ma.

I hope this helps! Keep up the good work and keep practicing your problem-solving skills.