How Do You Calculate Tension in a Pulley System with Friction?

[howsockgothap]

Homework Statement

Two blocks of mass m1=50.0 kg and m2=100 kg are connected by a string of negligible mass. The pulley is frictionless and also of negligible mass. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the 50.0 kg block and the incline is 0.250.

a) Determine the tension in the string.
b) Find the acceleration of the system.
c) Determine the decrease in total mechanical energy of the system (due to the presence of the frictional force) when the 50.0 kg block moves from point A to point B, a distance of 20.0 m.

Homework Equations

T=??

The Attempt at a Solution

I am fairly certain that I'll only need help with part a. I have a really hard time figuring out what to set tension equal to (and why). I had T-mg=F for the 100 kg block, but figured I couldn't do much with that. Instead I tried with the second block to use T=mg+fgsin37 but the answer I get is somewhere in the 3000s while my study guide says I should be getting 589 N. How do I go about setting up tension for this problem?

 

[dreit]

try setting up the blocks into vectors first, this may help you be able to realize what you can set equal to one another

 

[dreit]

then u should consider Fnet=W-T after you determine your vectors

 

[howsockgothap]

I'm not quite sure what you mean by Fnet=W-T

I don't see how work comes into this system, since it seems to me that I don't have any 'initial' conditions from which to determine energy.

 

[howsockgothap]

NVM got it. Thanks!