---

INPUT   DATA

♥ EXAMPLE Of Input/Output

Title

Mass of hanging block A		kg
Mass of hanging block B		kg
Mass of sliding block C		kg
Coefficient of friction at C

---

---

OUTPUT   VARIABLES   &   GRAPHS

Variables	Values	Units
♦  Acceleration of system		m/s2
♦  Tension in cord A		N
♦  Tension in cord B		N

Force & Acceleration

Newton's Laws of motion can be summarized as follows: i) An object at will continue to be rest, or an object in motion will continue to be in motion at constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force, ii) If the force acting on an object is not zero, the object accelerates in the direction of the force, iii) For every action, there an equal and opposite reaction. Frictional force is the tangential force that acts to oppose the sliding of an object in contact with another surface. The coefficient of friction is the ratio of frictional force to the normal force of the object.

Consider an object resting on a flat surface and connected by to two objects hanging over pulleys as shown above. The forces and the acceleration of this system can be described by the equations:

where
     α = acceleration of the system
     m_A = mass of hanging object A
     m_B = mass of hanging object B
     m_C = mass of sliding object C
     μ = coefficient of kinetic friction at C
     g = acceleration due to gravity
     T_A = tensile force acting in cord attached to object A
     T_B = tension force acting in cord attached to object B

Tips

    ◊ Use link EXAMPLE Of Input/Output  to demo data entry expectations and results; you may edit & use it as starting point

BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Bueche FJ & Hecht E; College Physics, Schaum's Outlines Series; McGraw Hill, New York, 1997.
• Lowe TL & Rounce JF; Calculations For A-Level Physics; Nelson Thornes Ltd, Cheltenham, UK, 2002