A 2.00 kg aluminum block and a 5.20 kg copper block are connected by a light string over a frictionless pulley. They sit on a steel surface, where θ = 28.0°.

Determine the sum of the magnitudes of the forces of friction acting on the blocks._____________N

I don't understand how to solve this question. Please help! Thanks.

I don't understand the question.

To solve this question, we first need to understand the forces acting on the system.

Since the blocks are connected by a light string over a frictionless pulley, they will experience the same tension force (T) due to the string. This tension force will cause the blocks to accelerate.

The weight (force due to gravity) of each block can be calculated using the formula:

weight = mass * gravity

where mass is given in kilograms and gravity is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2).

The normal force (N) exerted by the steel surface on each block can be calculated using the formula:

N = weight * cos(θ)

where θ is the angle (28.0°) and weight is the weight of each block.

The force of friction (f) can be calculated using the formula:

f = coefficient of friction * N

where the coefficient of friction represents how "rough" or "smooth" the steel surface is with respect to the blocks.

Since we want the sum of the magnitudes of the forces of friction acting on the blocks, we will calculate the force of friction for each block separately and then add them together.

Once we have the force of friction for each block, we can simply add them together to find the sum of their magnitudes.

Make sure to determine the coefficient of friction for the steel surface and use the appropriate value in the calculations.