Visualize the problem and identify special cases Learning Goal: To learn a systematic approach to solving Newton's 2nd law First examine the problem by drawing a picture and visualizing the motion. Apply Newton's 2nd law, _ " = ma, to each body in your mind. Don't worry about problems using a simple example. which quantities are given. Think about the forces on each body: How are these consistent with the direction of the acceleration for that body? Can you think of Once you have decided to solve a problem using Newton's any special cases that you can solve quickly now and use to test your understanding later? 2nd law, there are steps that will lead you to a solution. One such prescription is the following: One special case in this problem is if my = 0, in which case block 1 would simply fall freely under the acceleration of gravity: a = -gj. . Visualize the problem and identify special cases. Isolate each body and draw the forces acting on it. Part A Choose a coordinate system for each body. Apply Newton's 2nd law to each body. Write equations for the constraints and other Consider another special case in which the inclined plane is vertical (0 = >/2). In this case. for what value of my would the acceleration of the two blocks given information. be equal to zero? Solve the resulting equations symbolically. Check that your answer has the correct Express your answer in terms of some or all of the variables ma and g. dimensions and satisfies special cases. If numbers are given in the problem, plug them in and check that the answer makes sense. UA AEd ? Think about generalizations or simplifications of the problem. m= Figure