A crate of mass m1 on a frictionless inclined plane is attached to another crate of mass m2 by a massless rope. The rope passes over an ideal pulley so the mass m2 is suspended in air. The plane is inclined at an angle = 36.9°. Use conservation of energy to find how fast crate m2 is moving after m1 has traveled a distance of 1.4 m along the incline, starting from rest. The mass of m1 is 12.4 kg and the mass of m2 is 16.3 kg.
2007-06-21 12:39:34 · 1 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
it's odd to specify use conservation of energy, but doable.
assume a reference for height. I don't see a graphic so can we assume the two masses start at the same height, h0?
Assume the heavier unsupported mass goes down. for the given change in it's height, 1.4m, the height of the other mass will change by l * sin 36.9. so you can calculate the change in potential energy of each mass, mgh. these will not be the same. the difference will have to be converted to kinetic energy.
so (m2*g*1.4m) - (m1*g*1.4m*sin36.9) = 1/2 v^2 (m1 + m2)
solve for v
2007-06-21 13:10:02 · answer #1 · answered by Piglet O 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋