What is the Tension in a Rope with Unequal Bucket Weights?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving two buckets of different weights suspended from a rope over a pulley. The weights of the buckets are given as 118 N and 58 N, and the participants are exploring how to determine the tension in the rope after the buckets are released.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the need for a free body diagram (FBD) and the importance of identifying all forces acting on the buckets. There are inquiries about the nature of the forces represented by the weights and how to relate the accelerations of the buckets.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing guidance on drawing force diagrams and considering the second law of motion. There are multiple lines of reasoning being explored, particularly regarding the relationship between the forces and the accelerations of the buckets.

Contextual Notes

Participants emphasize the necessity of showing work and understanding the forces involved, indicating that there may be constraints related to the problem setup or assumptions about the system.

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Two buckets of sand hand from opposite ends of a rope that passes over an ideal pulley. One bucket is full and weighs 118 N; the other is only partly filled and weighs 58 N. After the buckets are released and allowed to move what is the tension in the rope



I drew a force diagram but all I have are the two forces that are given to me. I'm not sure what other forces I need to put into solve this.
 
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(1) use the template
(2) show your work
 
Sum all forces in the y direction on your FBD(more than just 118 and 58). Just to be clear do you know what 118N and 58N are forces of? You will need to know this.
 
Call T the tension in the rope, and do a free body diagram on each of the buckets, along with a vertical 2nd law force balance on each of the buckets. Eliminate T between the two force balances. How are the accelerations of the two buckets related?
 

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