Two carts on a low friction air-track are connected by an unstretched spring.   Cart 1 has an inertia of 1.5 kg while cart 2 has an inertia of 2.5 kg.   The spring has a spring constant of 10 N/m and negligible inertia.   You push cart 1 in the direction of the cart 2 with a constant force of 5.0 N.   (a) What is the acceleration of the centre of mass of the cart-spring system?          (b) What is the acceleration of each cart the instant you begin to push?

Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text
5th Edition
ISBN:9781133104261
Author:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Publisher:Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett
Chapter5: More Applications Of Newton’s Laws
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 46P: An aluminum block of mass m1 = 2.00 kg and a copper block of mass m2 = 6.00 kg are connected by a...
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Two carts on a low friction air-track are connected by an unstretched spring.

 

Cart 1 has an inertia of 1.5 kg while cart 2 has an inertia of 2.5 kg.

 

The spring has a spring constant of 10 N/m and negligible inertia.

 

You push cart 1 in the direction of the cart 2 with a constant force of 5.0 N.

 

(a) What is the acceleration of the centre of mass of the cart-spring system? 

       

(b) What is the acceleration of each cart the instant you begin to push?    

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