How do you find tension and friction on an inclined plane

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around finding tension and friction in a pulley system involving two masses on an inclined plane, given acceleration, mass values, and an angle. Participants are exploring the dynamics of the system, including the forces acting on each mass.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss using equations related to net force and gravitational force to find tension and friction. There are questions about the origins of certain equations, such as μ = tan θ, and how to apply them in this context. Some participants suggest working backwards from known forces to find coefficients of friction.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with various interpretations of the problem being explored. Participants are providing guidance on the application of equations and the treatment of forces, but there is no explicit consensus on the approach to take. Some participants express confusion and seek clarification on the relationships between the forces involved.

Contextual Notes

There are constraints related to the assumptions about the pulley system, such as whether it is frictionless and how that affects the tension throughout the rope. Participants also note the importance of consistent sign conventions in their equations.

  • #31
A fully frictionless pulley system would slip between pulley and rope, making the pulley mass irrelevant.
Anyway, no information about the pulley system is given, so frictionless and massless is the most reasonable assumption.
 
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  • #32
mfb said:
A fully frictionless pulley system would slip between pulley and rope, making the pulley mass irrelevant.
Yes, but that is never what is meant in a problem statement by a 'frictionless pulley'. If it were frictionless in that sense there would be no need for it to be a pulley - it could just be a frictionless shoulder.
mfb said:
Anyway, no information about the pulley system is given, so frictionless and massless is the most reasonable assumption.
Sure, but Leah (or other readers) may in future encounter problems where the pulley has inertia, so I felt it was important to get the statement right. (And problems where the pulley has relevant inertia may also describe the pulley as frictionless, without necessarily clarifying that this only refers to the axle.)
 

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