Question

Can someone explain number 10 in the Concept Questions of Chapter 7 - Concept of Forces? It seems to me as if, for configuration b, the solution only took the one mass m/2 into account, but there are two masses with mass m/2, so I said a while the solution said the answer was c. Can someone please explain this?

Answer 1

what book are you talking about?

Answer 2

Oops, it's on the OCW Scholars Concept Questions Document - http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/force-and-newtons-laws-of-motion/concept-of-force/MIT8_01SC_quiz07.pdf

Answer 3

And here are their solutions: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/force-and-newtons-laws-of-motion/concept-of-force/MIT8_01SC_quiz07_sols.pdf

Answer 4

I think it's because the force exerted is only by 1/2 of the mass, you could look at this system as if it where attached to a wall