What is the lift force exerted by the air on the rotors?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the lift force exerted by air on the rotors of a helicopter that is accelerating upward while lifting a car. The problem involves concepts from dynamics and forces, specifically Newton's second law.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the application of Newton's second law to determine the lift force and tension in the cable. There are attempts to clarify how to account for the combined mass of the helicopter and car, as well as the specific mass of the car for tension calculations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have suggested methods for approaching the problem, emphasizing the importance of using the correct mass values and acceleration. There are varying interpretations of the calculations, and one participant has proposed specific numerical answers, which may indicate ongoing exploration of the problem.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses confusion and concern about the accuracy of their calculations, indicating that this problem is part of a mid-term assessment. There is a focus on ensuring that the correct assumptions are made regarding the forces involved.

thschica
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A 6520 kg helicopter accelerates upward at 0.57 m/s2 while lifting a 1190 kg car.
(a) What is the lift force exerted by the air on the rotors?
_________ N
(b) What is the tension in the cable (ignore its mass) that connects the car to the helicopter?
_____N

I have no idea how to do this and it is going to be on my mid-term.
Can someone please help me because I keep getting very strange numbers.
I used a kinetics equation but the answer was wrong!
 
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Use Newtons second law: F=ma.
For (a) find out how much force is needed to accelerate both of the masses. The tension only accelerates the car.
 
If you apply Newton's Second Law to part (a) you can find the answer relatively easily; for the M value, just make sure you use the composite mass. You know a, as it's given in the question, so F can easily be solved. I think for part (b) you can just use Newton's Second Law, but remember the only mass involved is that of the suspended car. The acceleration should remain the same though...
 
should a) be 4394.7
and b) be 3716.4
 

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