If a cart and a string are attached and there is a weight on the end of the string to pull the cart, and both the cart and the weight on the string were the same.. what would I expect acceleration to be using Newton's second law?
To calculate the expected acceleration using Newton's second law, we need to consider the net force acting on the system.
Newton's second law states that the net force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration (F = ma). In this case, the system includes both the cart and the weight. Since the cart and the weight are attached by a string, they experience the same force.
Let's assume that the weight of both the cart and the weight hanging on the string is represented by the variable "m" (mass). The force acting on the system is equal to the weight of the hanging mass:
Force = mass × gravitational acceleration
F = m × g
Since the force acting on the system is equal to the mass times acceleration:
m × a = m × g
Here, we can see that "m" appears on both sides of the equation. As a result, the mass cancels out:
a = g
Therefore, the expected acceleration of both the cart and the weight will be equal to the acceleration due to gravity (g), assuming there are no other forces acting on the system. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.
So, using Newton's second law, the expected acceleration in this scenario would be approximately 9.8 m/s^2.