Problem 1
An ideal Atwood machine has masses and hanging on opposite sides of a light inextensible string over a frictionless, massless pulley; take as the gravitational acceleration and assume the system is released from rest. The heavier mass moves downward, with both masses having the same acceleration magnitude because the string length is fixed. (a) Find the acceleration. (b) Find the string tension. (c) Find the speed after the heavier mass has descended a distance .
problems.proof.stepOf
problems.proof.analysis
First identify the physical model and convention that match the stated setup. This fixes the signs used in the equations that follow.