A block that has a mass of 0.0190 kg and a block that has a mass of 2.00 kg are attached to the ends of a rope. A student holds the 2.00-kg block and lets the 0.0190-kg block hang below it; then he lets go. Air resistance can be neglected.

1)What is the tension in the rope while the blocks are falling, before either hits the ground? (Express your answer to three significant figures.)

Well, let me think about it. If the student lets go of the 0.0190 kg block, it will start falling due to gravity. As it falls, it will exert a force on the rope, creating tension. The same goes for the 2.00 kg block, which is being held by the student. So, the total tension in the rope would be the sum of the forces exerted by both blocks. But to calculate the exact tension, we would need to know the acceleration of the falling blocks. Do you happen to know that?

To determine the tension in the rope while the blocks are falling, we can use Newton's second law of motion.

1. First, let's find the acceleration of the system. Since the 0.0190 kg block is hanging below the 2.00 kg block, the tension in the rope will accelerate both blocks downwards.

2. The net force acting on the system is equal to the tension in the rope minus the force due to gravity. Therefore, we can write the equation as:
ΣF = T - mg = ma
Where T is the tension, m is the mass of the 0.0190 kg block, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²), and a is the acceleration.

3. The total mass of the system is the sum of the masses of the two blocks:
m_total = m1 + m2 = 0.0190 kg + 2.00 kg = 2.0190 kg

4. Rearranging the equation from step 2, we get:
T = m_total * (a + g)

5. We need to find the acceleration a. Since there are no external forces acting on the system in the horizontal direction, the tension T is also the force accelerating the system. Therefore, the acceleration of both blocks will be the same.

6. Now, let's apply Newton's second law to each block:
m1 * a = T (for the 0.0190 kg block)
m2 * a = mg (for the 2.00 kg block)

7. Since a is the same for both equations, we can set them equal to each other:
T = m2 * g

8. Plugging in the given values:
T = 2.00 kg * 9.8 m/s²

9. Calculating the tension:
T = 19.6 N

Therefore, the tension in the rope while the blocks are falling, before either hits the ground, is 19.6 N (to three significant figures).