PHYS1312 (2016 Fall) HW2 Suggested Solution
Problem 1
We set up an inertial reference frame outside the lift as shown in in Fig. 1. The position of the
pulley measured in this reference frame is denoted as (xp , yp ). Similarly, the position of box A
and box B is (xA , yA ) and (xB , yB ) respectively.
Part a: Constraint for the acceleration
A x
a
B
Figure 1: The system (left) and the defined coordinate system in an inertial frame (right)
Since the length of an inextensible string is constant, we have
(xp − xA ) + (yB − yp ) = L, (1)
where L is the length of the string. Differentiate (1) twice, we obtain:
−ẍA + ÿB − ÿp = 0 (2)
As the lift is accelerating upwards with an acceleration a = g/2 relative to the ground, we have
ÿp = −g/2 (Be careful of the negative sign, as we have defined downward as positive). Then, (2)
becomes
g g
−ẍA + ÿB + =0 ⇒ ẍA = ÿB + , (3)
2 2
which is the constraint we need.
Part b: The tension of the string
To write down the equations of motion for the objects, let’s consider the free-body diagrams for
each object separately, as shown in Fig. 2.
Using Newton’s second law, the equation of motion for object A is given by
T = mẍA (4)
and the equation of motion for object B:
mg − T = mÿB (5)
1
R T
mg mg
Figure 2: Free-body diagrams for object A (left) and object B (right)
By using (3), (4) and (5) , we have
g
T = m ÿB + and
2
mg − T = mÿB (6)
By solving (6), we obtain
3mg
T = (7)
4
Problem 2
We set up the coordinate system as shown in FIG. 3.
yA
yB
y3
3M
2M
y2 4M
y4
Figure 3: Coordinate system for the pulley system
1. Equations of motion
The free body diagrams for the boxes and the pulley are shown in FIG. 4. By Newton’s second
law, the equation of motion for the box with mass 3M is
3M ÿ3 = 3M g − T1 (8)
The equation of motion for the box with mass 2M is
2M ÿ2 = 2M g − T2 (9)
2
The equation of motion for the box with mass 4M is
4M ÿ4 = 4M g − T2 (10)
Here, we have five unknowns: ÿ2 , ÿ3 , ÿ4 , T1 and T2 , so we need to have two more equations
to determine the unknowns.
T1
T2 T2 T1
2Mg 4Mg 3Mg
T2 T2
Figure 4: Free-body diagrams for the pulley and the boxes
2. Constraints
The first constraint can be found by considering the equation of motion for the pulley connecting
the 2M -box and 4M -box, with the mass of the pulley set to zero:
M ÿB = 2T2 − T1 ⇒ T1 = 2T2 (11)
Then, the length of the two strings should be constant. Hence, we should have
(y3 − yA ) + (yB − yA ) = l1 ⇒ ÿ3 = −ÿB (12)
Similarly, we should have
(y2 − yB ) + (y4 − yB ) = l2 ⇒ ÿ2 + ÿ4 = 2ÿB (13)
From (12) and (13), we obtain the relationship between ÿ2 , ÿ3 and ÿ4 :
y¨2 + 2ÿ3 + ÿ4 = 0 (14)
Now, (11) and (14) are the two constraints we want to have.
3. Mathematical manipulation
Clearly, (8), (9), (10), (11) and (14) contribute to a set of 5 simultaneous linear equations with 5
unknowns. The remaining steps are simply mathematical manipulation. Solving the equations,
we get
g 7g 13g 96M g 48M g
ÿ2 = , ÿ3 = − , ÿ4 = , T1 = , T2 = (15)
25 25 25 25 25
Therefore, the acceleration of the 3M -box will be 7g/25 in the upward direction.