Rock climber force diagram and acceleration

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stevo2393
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A 70kg climber is dangling over the edge of an ice cliff. He is roped to a 940kg rock located 51 m from the edge. The ice is frictionless, and the climber starts to accelerate downward.

a) How would you find the acceleration of the climber?

Would you use the force diagrams for the rock and the climber and subtract the two to find the acceleration in the case?


b) How long does it take the rock to go over the edge?

Much thanks
 
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stevo2393 said:
A 70kg climber is dangling over the edge of an ice cliff. He is roped to a 940kg rock located 51 m from the edge. The ice is frictionless, and the climber starts to accelerate downward.

a) How would you find the acceleration of the climber?

Would you use the force diagrams for the rock and the climber and subtract the two to find the acceleration in the case?


b) How long does it take the rock to go over the edge?

Much thanks

Consider which direction the climber and the rock are going to move.
Ignoring Tension in the rope, what forces act on each of the climber and rock in the direction they are about to move

Once you take the Tension into account, you get the net force on each of the climber and Rock - remembering that since they are tied together, they will have the same magnitude of acceleration.