Homework Help: Physics

Posted by April on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 11:35pm.

A block of mass M1=2.9 kg rests on top of a second block of mass2=5.5 kg, and the second block sits on a surface that is so slippery that the friction can be assumed to be zero.

Question:
(a) if the coefficient of static friction between the blocks is 0.21, how much force can be applied to the top block without the blocks slipping apart?

(b) how much force can be applied to the bottom block for the same result?

Physics - drwls, Saturday, March 3, 2012 at 8:21am
(a) 0.21*M1*g = 5.968 N

(b) The maximum friction force that M2 can apply to M1 without M1 slipping is also 5.968 N. That will cause M1 AND M2 to accelerate at rate
a = 5.968 N/M1 = 2.058 m/s^2
The force that would have to be applied to M2 to make this happen is
(M1 + M2)*a = 8.4 * 2.058 = 17.29 N

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