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Homework – Unit P-03 & P-04

Free-Body Diagrams: _____/50 Part 1 Name: ____________________
Equations, Justifns: _____/50

1. Student A (mass m) and Student B (mass _____m) sit facing each other on adjacent frictionless carts initially
at rest. For a short time Student B pushes on Student A with a constant force.

(a) While the force acts, Student B has an acceleration (c) While the force acts, Student A travels a distance
a. Calculate the acceleration of Student A in d. Calculate the distance that Student B travels
terms of a. while the force acts in terms of d.

(b) After the force acts, Student B has a speed v. (d) The force that Student B exerts on Student A has
Calculate the speed of Student A after the force magnitude F. Calculate the magnitude of the
acts in terms of v. force that Student A exerts on Student B.

2. Two blocks of mass (a) Draw and label the forces acting on the following objects.
m = _____ kg hang
from the ceiling by (i) The upper box (ii) The lower box
strings; the upper string
has tension Tu, and the
lower string has tension
Tl. ● ●
g=10 m/s2

(b) Calculate the following.

(i) The tension Tl in the lower string. (ii) The tension Tu in the upper string.

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3. A force F = _____ N pulls a mass m = _____ kg. The small
mass m is attached by a string to a larger mass M = _____ kg,
and both blocks accelerate together across a frictionless
horizontal surface. Let T represent the tension in the string.

(a) Draw and label the external forces acting on the following.

(i) The left mass M. (ii) The right mass m. (iii)The two-mass system.

● ● ●

(b) Calculate the following.

(i) The acceleration of the two-mass system. (ii) The tension T.

4. A small cart of mass m = _____ kg is in front of a large cart of

mass M = _____ kg. A force F = +_____ N to the right is
applied to the large cart. For this problem, let quantities that
point to the right be positive.

(a) Draw and label the external forces acting on the following. Let Fc be the force that one cart exerts on the
other.

(i) The small cart m. (ii) The large cart M. (iii)The two-cart system.

● ● ●

(b) Calculate the following.

(i) The acceleration of the two-cart (ii) The force that the small cart (iii)The force that the large cart
system. exerts on the large cart. exerts on the small cart.

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5. A horse of mass M pulls a wagon of mass m so that the horse
and wagon have an acceleration a. Assume the wagon wheels
have frictionless bearings. Derive expressions for the
following in terms of m, M, and a.

(a) The force that the horse exerts (through the (b) The horizontal frictional force that the ground
harness) on the wagon. exerts on the horse.

6. A crane hook of (a) Draw and label the forces acting on the hook and on the box,
mass m = _____ kg assuming both are at rest. Draw longer arrows for stronger
supports a box of forces.
mass M = _____ kg.
Let TU be the tension (i) The hook (ii) The box
in the upper cable
and TL be the tension
in the lower cable.
g=10 m/s2

Equation: _______________ Equation: _______________

(b) Derive two equations that relate TU and TL to m, M, g, and the system's acceleration a, assuming the
acceleration is upward. Then use your equations to calculate the values of TU and TL in each of the
following cases.

(i) The box moves (ii) The box has an (iii)The box has a (iv) The box is moving
upward with a upward acceleration downward downward with a
constant speed of of _____ m/s2. acceleration of _____ speed of _____ m/s
_____ m/s. m/s2. and slowing down at a
rate of _____ m/s2.

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 7. A mH = _____ kg (a) Draw and label the forces acting on the helicopter and on the
helicopter uses a car, assuming are accelerating upward. Draw longer arrows
rope to raise a for stronger forces. Derive two equations that relate FL and
mC = _____ kg FT to mH, mC, g, and a.
car with an
upward (i) The helicopter (ii) The car
acceleration of
a = _____ m/s2.
The upward force
that the air exerts
on the helicopter
is called "lift",
FL, and the
tension in the
rope is FT.
g=10 m/s2

Equation: _______________ Equation: _______________

(b) Use your equations to calculate the following forces.

(i) The tension FT. (ii) The lift force FL.

8. A light string passes (a) Draw and label the forces acting on each mass. Draw longer
over an ideal pulley arrows for stronger forces.
and connects two
hanging masses (i) Mass m (ii) Mass M
m = _____ kg and
M = _____ kg.
g=10 m/s2

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(b) Calculate the following.

(i) The acceleration of the masses when the system is (ii) The tension in the connecting string.
released.

9. A light string passes over an ideal pulley and connects two hanging masses m and M. Re-use your free-
body diagrams and equations in problem 11 to derive expressions for the following in terms of m, M, and g.

(i) The acceleration of the masses when the system is (ii) The tension in the connecting string.
released.

13. Two masses m1 = (a) Draw and label the forces acting on each of the
_____ kg and m2 = three masses.
_____ kg are connected
by a light string. Mass m1 m2 M
m2 is connected to mass
M = _____ kg by a
string that passes over
an ideal pulley. Let TA ● ● ●
represent the tension in
the string connecting M
to m2, and TB represent
the tension in the string
connecting m2 to m1.
g=10 m/s2

(b) Calculate the following quantities for after the system is released.

(i) The acceleration of the masses (ii) The tension TA (iii)The tension TB

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10. A mass m1 = _____ kg is at rest on a table. It is attached to a hanging mass m2 = _____ kg by a string that
passes over an ideal pulley.
g=10 m/s2

(a) Draw and label the forces acting on each mass, assuming
friction acts on the mass on the table and the masses are
accelerating to the right and down. Draw longer arrows for
stronger forces.

(i) Mass m1 (ii) Mass m2

(b) Calculate the following, assuming the

masses are released from rest and the
table is frictionless.

(i) the acceleration of the blocks. (ii) the tension in the connecting string.

(c) Calculate the following, assuming the table has a coefficient of kinetic friction equal to _____.

(i) the acceleration of the blocks. (ii) the tension in the connecting string.

16. A mass m1 is at rest on a frictionless table. It is attached to a

hanging mass m2 by a string that passes over an ideal pulley.
When released from rest, the acceleration of the system is
_____g.
g=10 m/s2

(a) Derive an expression for the tension in the string (b) Calculate is the numerical ratio m2/m1.
in terms of m2 and g.

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12. The diagrams labeled Case I and Case II show a block of mass
m = _____ kg resting on a surface where the coefficient of
friction is _____. A string is connected to the block and passes
over an ideal pulley. In Case I, a force F = _____ N is applied
to the other end of the string; in Case II a block of mass
M = _____ kg is connected to the other end of the string.
g=10 m/s2

(a) Calculate the acceleration of m in Case I.

(b) Draw and label the forces (c) Calculate the acceleration of m (d) Calculate the tension in the
acting on each block in Case II. in Case II. string in Case II.

● ●
m M

(e) Suppose mass M were replaced by an extremely large mass in Case II. Indicate the highest value that the
acceleration of the system could have. Justify your answer.

13. A block of mass M rests on a table where the coefficient of

static friction is µs and the coefficient of kinetic friction is µk.
The block is attached to a mass m by a light string that passes
over a massless, frictionless pulley.

(a) In terms of M and m, derive an expression for the minimum

value of µs such that the blocks will not slip when released.

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(b) Block m is set in motion when it is given a very short push. In terms of M, m, µk, and g, derive expressions
for the following.

(i) The acceleration of the system of blocks. (ii) The tension in the connecting cable

14. Four masses rest on a light 10-meter long plank. The masses Mass [kg] Position [m]
and positions are shown in the table below. Calculate the
location of the system's center of mass.

15. Four masses rest on a table. The masses and positions are Mass [kg] Horizontal Vertical
shown in the table below. Calculate the location of the Position Position
system's center of mass. [m] [m]

16. A wire of mass _____ grams is bent into the shape shown,
where W = ___L. Calculate the location on the y-axis of the
wire's center of mass in terms of L.

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