Three blocks on a frictionless horizontal surface are in contact with each other
A force F is applied to block 1 (m1)
Draw a free body diagram for each block
ok for the diagram is the force F applied horizontal to mass one does this force act on m2
all the blocks are lines up m1 touches m2 touches m3
the force is applied to m1
how does the force m1 apply to m2 ???
I'm also kind of lost on how to draw the free body diagram of the first block
the force F points to the right right? what points to the left
<-----| m1 |------> F
what points to the left I know the rest for m1 i think If i drew force F corectly on block m1
and how does the force F apply to the second block and the third?
Assuming that the three blocks of masses m1, m2 and m3 are in contact with each other, and the force applied is in the direction of the blocks, i.e. the blocks will remain in compression the moment after the application of the force.
Total mass = m1+m2+m3 = M
Force applied = F
Acceleration of each block immediately after F was applied
a = F/M = F/(m1+m2+m3)
By isolating each block, noting that actions and reactions are equal between two blocks, also net force on each block is Fi = mi.a
All forces should be isolated and expressed in terms of F, m1, m2, m3.
When a force F is applied horizontally to block 1 (m1) in a setup where m1 is in contact with m2 and m2 is in contact with m3, it is important to understand how the force is transmitted through the blocks.
The force F applied to m1 does not directly act on m2. Instead, the force is transmitted through the blocks by means of contact forces between them. The normal force and the frictional force play important roles in transmitting the applied force.
Here is a step-by-step breakdown of how the force is transmitted from m1 to m2:
1. Free body diagram for block 1 (m1):
- A force F is applied horizontally to the right on m1.
- There is a normal force acting vertically upward on m1 from the contact with m2.
- There is also a frictional force acting horizontally to the left on m1 due to the contact with the surface it is resting on.
2. Free body diagram for block 2 (m2):
- There is a normal force acting vertically downward on m2 from the contact with m1.
- The force of friction between m1 and m2, acting horizontally to the right, is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the frictional force on m1 due to m2.
3. Free body diagram for block 3 (m3):
- There is a normal force acting vertically downward on m3 from the contact with m2.
- The force of friction between m2 and m3, acting horizontally to the right, is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the frictional force on m2 due to m3.
In summary, the force applied to m1 is transmitted through the contact forces between the blocks. These contact forces, including the normal forces and the frictional forces, play a crucial role in transferring the applied force to each subsequent block.
To understand how the force applied to block 1 (m1) affects block 2 (m2), we can analyze the physical connection between the blocks and consider the Newton's third law of motion.
In this scenario, where all three blocks are in contact with each other, the force applied to m1 will indeed affect m2. When you apply a horizontal force (F) to m1, the force is transmitted through the contact point (or interface) between m1 and m2. This is because the blocks are in contact and there is a normal force acting perpendicular to the interface between the blocks.
To visualize this, let's draw the free body diagrams for each block:
1. Block 1 (m1):
- Draw an arrow representing the applied force (F) acting horizontally on m1.
- Draw a normal force (N1) acting perpendicular to the surface of m1, pointing towards the interface between m1 and m2.
2. Block 2 (m2):
- Draw a normal force (N2) acting perpendicular to the surface of m2, pointing away from the interface between m1 and m2.
- There will also be a frictional force (f) acting opposite to the direction of motion, assuming there is relative motion between m1 and m2.
3. Block 3 (m3):
- Draw a normal force (N3) acting perpendicular to the surface of m3, pointing away from the interface between m2 and m3.
- There will also be a frictional force (f) acting opposite to the direction of motion, assuming there is relative motion between m2 and m3.
The normal forces (N1, N2, and N3) are reaction forces that arise due to the contact between the blocks. These forces maintain the equilibrium of the system and ensure contact forces are distributed appropriately.
So, although the force is initially applied to m1, it gets transmitted to m2 due to the contact and normal forces between the blocks.