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Masses are hung on a light string attached to an ideal massless pul- ley as shown in the diagram at right. The total mass hanging from the left string is equal to that on the right. At time t=0, the 0.2-kg mass is moved from the left to the right side of the pulley. How far does each mass move in one second?

User Ruyk
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

This physics problem involves an initially balanced pulley system that becomes unbalanced when a mass is transferred from one side to the other. Without additional information, such as forces or initial velocities, it is not possible to calculate the acceleration and thus the distance each mass moves in one second.

Step-by-step explanation:

The problem describes a dynamic situation involving masses and a pulley, which falls under the category of classical mechanics, a core topic within Physics. Considering the masses are initially equal and then a 0.2-kg mass is moved from one side of the pulley to the other, we need to understand the resultant motion.

As the system starts with equal masses on both sides, there is no net motion; it's in equilibrium. Once the 0.2-kg mass is moved to the other side, the total mass on one side becomes greater, hence, that side will accelerate downward while the other side accelerates upward with the same magnitude of acceleration due to the pulley system's constraints.

To solve for the actual distance moved by each mass in one second, we need to apply equations of motion with constant acceleration. However, the required information to determine the acceleration, such as the initial velocities or the forces involved, is missing from the given data. Without this, we can't determine the precise distance moved. The assumption that the system is ideal implies that we ignore air resistance, friction, and the mass of the pulley.

User Vinit Dhatrak
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