You are asked to find an acceleartion, yet you are solving for a force, and that calculation of the force is in any case not correct, as you seem to be trying to calculate a friction force acting on the block/cart system, which does not exist because the surface upon which the cart lies in frictionless. So start again, this time by drawing a free body diagram of the block. What force acts on the block in the horizontal direction just before it starts to slide? Once you identify that force, solve for its acceleration. Would not the cart have to have that same acceleration if the block must not slide?TG3 said:Homework Statement
A block of mass 1.4 kg rests on a cart of 3.4 kg. The static friction between them is (mew) =.79
What is the maximum acceleration in m/s^2 the cart can undergo over a frictionless surface before the block begins to slide?
Homework Equations
F (subscript ap) = mew x g x (m1 + m2)
The Attempt at a Solution
F = .79 x 9.81 x 4.8
F= 37.19952 (I rounded appropriately when entering answer.)
Yet I'm told this is wrong... what am I missing?
That's all very nice that you now have the answer, but unless you try to understand why that's the answer, it is meaningless.TG3 said:Hey- thanks!
That was the first question in a set, so without the answer to that question, I couldn't get the rest, but with it they were pretty easy.
Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
Acceleration can be calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the time it took for that change to occur. This can be represented by the equation a = (vf - vi)/t, where a is acceleration, vf is final velocity, vi is initial velocity, and t is time.
The maximum acceleration an object can undergo is dependent on several factors, such as the object's mass, the force applied to it, and its physical limitations. In a vacuum, the maximum acceleration an object can undergo is the acceleration due to gravity, which is 9.8 m/s^2.
Acceleration affects an object's motion by changing its velocity. If an object is accelerating, its velocity is either increasing or decreasing over time. This can result in a change in direction, speed, or both.
Determining the maximum acceleration an object can undergo is important for various practical applications, such as designing vehicles or equipment that can withstand high accelerations, predicting the outcome of collisions, and understanding the limits of human endurance during high-speed activities.