A student weighs 588 N. What is her mass? THINKING IT THROUGH. Newton’s second law allows us to determine an object’s mass if we know the object’s weight (force), since g is known.

Given:

w = 588 N

3.Two blocks with masses m1 = 2.5 kg and m2 = 3.5 kg rest on a frictionless surface and are connected by a light string (▼ Figure 4.9). A horizontal force (F) of 12.0 N is applied to m1, as shown in the figure. (a) What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the masses

When an object is described as being “light,” its mass can be ignored in analyzing the situation given in the problem. That is, here the mass of the string is negligible relative to the other masses.(i.e., of the total system)? (b) What is the magnitude of the force (T) in the string? (When a rope or string is stretched taut, it is said to

be under tension.) THINKING IT THROUGH. It is important to remember that Newton’s second law may be applied to a total system or any part of it (a subsystem, so to speak). This capability allows for the analysis of a particular component of a system, if desired. Identification of all of the acting forces is critical, as this Example shows. Then Fnet = ma is applied to each subsystem or component.

Transcribed Image Text:

Isolating the masses