Problem 7.6: A modified Atwood's machine
Please wait for the animation to completely load.
A 2.5-kg cart on a low-friction track is connected to a string and then to a 0.5-kg hanging mass as shown in the animation. Neglect any effects of the massless pulley on the motion of the system (position is given in meters and time is given in seconds). Restart.
During the animation,
- What is the work done on the hanging mass due to the tension in the string?
- What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the hanging mass?
- What is the work done on the cart due to the tension in the string?
- What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the cart?
- What is the work done on the cart due to the normal force?
- What is the total work done by the tension on the two-object system?
- What is the change in potential energy of the two-object system?
- What is the change in kinetic energy of the two-object system?
Note that the coordinates for each object (the positive x direction) are already chosen for you.
Problem authored by Mario Belloni.
Script authored by Aaron Titus.
Physlets were developed at Davidson College and converted from Java to JavaScript using the SwingJS system developed at St. Olaf College.
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