Problem 4.10

Please wait for the animation to completely load.

Two boxes, each of mass 2.0 kg, are connected by a lightweight rope.  The boxes are hoisted upward with a constant acceleration as shown in the animation (position is given in meters and time is given in seconds).   Restart.

  1. Draw a free-body diagram for each box.
  2. What is the tension in the top rope?
  3. What is the tension in the rope connecting the two boxes?

Consider an alternative situation in which the system has the same acceleration but the rope between the boxes is not lightweight.  It is a steel cable with a total mass of 1.0 kg.

  1. What would be the force of the steel cable on the top box?
  2. What would be the force of the steel cable on the bottom box?

 

 

Problem authored by Aaron Titus.
Instructor's Resource CD Edition: Do not post or distribute.
The complete version of Physlet Physics is available as a text with CD; Physlet Physics can be bundled with this Prentice Hall textbook.
© 2004 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. A Pearson Company