Newton's second law (friction and pulley)

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around applying Newton's second law in the context of a system involving friction and a pulley. Participants are analyzing the forces acting on a mass and the relationship between tension, friction, and net force.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between net force, tension, and frictional force. There are attempts to balance forces and clarify the direction of these forces. Questions arise regarding the definitions and roles of the forces involved, particularly the frictional force and its direction relative to net force.

Discussion Status

There is ongoing exploration of the problem with participants offering guidance on force balance and clarifying misconceptions about the direction of forces. Some participants suggest reevaluating the assumptions made about the forces and the setup of the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the pulley is assumed to be massless and frictionless, and there is a recognition of the need for clarity in the definitions of forces involved. Some calculations appear to be incorrect, and there is a focus on ensuring that the frictional force is not conflated with net force.

GrantFuhrer
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Homework Statement


m6VS5y3.jpg


Homework Equations


F=ma, Fr = μN

The Attempt at a Solution


1kg(1m/s^2) = 1N

Fnet = (x) - 1.18
1N = x - 1.18
x = 2.18N
2.18N/9.81m/s^2 = 0.223kg

I know this is not right because I was told that in my calculations Fnet and Fr go in the same direction. Also I didn't use the kinetic coefficient to calculate my answer (which I'm probably supposed to) the total question is out of 5 points.[/B][/B]
 
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You need to do a force balance on the blue mass also. Call T the tension in the string.

Chet
 
What is ##F_r## supposed to be? At one point you set it equal to the frictional force, but you also say it is in the same direction as the net force. It can't be both. Perhaps if you figure that out, all will become clear to you. I presume that the pulley is supposed to be massless and frictionless.
 
tms said:
What is ##F_r## supposed to be? At one point you set it equal to the frictional force, but you also say it is in the same direction as the net force. It can't be both. Perhaps if you figure that out, all will become clear to you. I presume that the pulley is supposed to be massless and frictionless.

Fr is frictional force. Yes I know my mistake was that it is the same direction as the net force. Indeed the pulley is massless and frictionless. This is what I do so that the force of friction is different from the net force:
-Fnet = (x) - 1.18
-1N = (x) - 1.18
x = 0.18N
0.18N/9.81 = 0.018kg

I'm still doing it wrong, can you guide me from here?
 
T - 1.18 = 1N, but the value of T you get from this is not the weight of the blue mass. The blue mass is also accelerating, so T is less than the weight of the blue mass.

Chet
 
Chestermiller said:
T - 1.18 = 1N, but the value of T you get from this is not the weight of the blue mass. The blue mass is also accelerating, so T is less than the weight of the blue mass.

Chet

Hmm..

T - 1.18 = 1N
T = 2.18N / 9.81m/s^2 = 0.222kg

Same answer I had before. It's not right because when I verify:
(0.222*9.81) - 1.18 = 1 / (0.222 + 1) = 0.81

Acceleration has to be 1.00m/s^2 and not 0.81.
 
GrantFuhrer said:
Fr is frictional force. Yes I know my mistake was that it is the same direction as the net force.
Just to be clear, the frictional force is not in the same direction as the net force. One thing you do know is that the tension must be greater in magnitude than the frictional force, or the block would not move. For the block on the table, you know that
F_{net} = T - F_{friction} since the tension and the friction work in opposite directions. You had that part right in your original post. It would help if you made your equations more explicit, not using things like ##x## to represent a force.

After you get the tension, you do another free-body diagram on the hanging weight to get its mass.
 
mg - T = ma
 

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