How to calculate acceleration in this Atwood's Machine?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the acceleration in an Atwood's Machine setup, involving two blocks with different masses and the tension in the connecting string. Participants are exploring the relationships between the forces acting on each block and the resulting accelerations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to establish the net forces acting on each block and expresses confusion over the discrepancy between their calculated acceleration and the expected result. Other participants request to see the calculations to identify potential errors.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging in clarifying the relationships between the accelerations of the two blocks. There is a recognition of the need to consider the differing accelerations due to the string constraint, and some guidance has been offered regarding the setup of the equations.

Contextual Notes

There is a reference to a specific problem statement and relevant equations, but the details of these equations are not fully explored in the discussion. The original poster expresses uncertainty about their calculations and seeks further guidance.

ArnavVarshney
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Homework Statement
Question: https://i.stack.imgur.com/xYp18.jpg

It asks us to find the acceleration of block B.
Relevant Equations
String constraint?
I concluded the net force on block B would be (300-3T) where T is the tension in the string and similarly, on block A it would be 2T. However, the answer I get (1.71) is incorrect. The correct answer is 1.56.
Could someone guide me to the solution of the question.
Sincere Thanks!
 
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Show us your calculations to be able to tell you what you did wrong.
 
ArnavVarshney said:
Problem Statement: Question: https://i.stack.imgur.com/xYp18.jpg

It asks us to find the acceleration of block B.
Relevant Equations: String constraint?

I concluded the net force on block B would be (300-3T) where T is the tension in the string and similarly, on block A it would be 2T. However, the answer I get (1.71) is incorrect. The correct answer is 1.56.
Could someone guide me to the solution of the question.
Sincere Thanks!
How does the acceleration of A compare to the acceleration of B?
 
Chestermiller said:
How does the acceleration of A compare to the acceleration of B?
By string constraint, work done by tension would be zero. So, -3T(aB) + 2T(aA) = 0.
2aA = 3aB?
 
Chestermiller said:
How does the acceleration of A compare to the acceleration of B?
Done! Thanks a lot! Was missing out on the fact that the two would have different accelerations!
 
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