A 500 g block lies on a horizontal tabletop. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the surface is 0.25. The block is connected by a massless string to the second block with a mass of 300 g.
The string passes over a light frictionless pulley as shown above. The system is released from rest.
a. Draw clearly labeled free-body diagrams for each of the 500 g and the 300g masses. Include all
forces and draw them to relative scale. Draw the expected direction of acceleration next to each
free-body diagram.
b. Use Newton’s Second Law to write an equation for the 500 g mass.
c. Use Newton’s Second Law to write an equation for the 300 g mass.
d. Find the acceleration of the system by simultaneously solving the system of two equations.
e. What is the tension force in the string?