Final answer:
When block 1 is placed on block 2, a normal force and potentially static or kinetic friction depending on motion occur. Tension in the string connecting them is found by analysing forces and using Newton's second law; an example involves creating free-body diagrams for each block to calculate the force of tension.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Tension in a String Connecting Two Blocks,
When block 1 of mass m1 is placed on block 2, it creates a normal force that is the contact force perpendicular to the surface. In addition, if there is no relative motion between the two blocks and they are at rest or moving with constant velocity together, static friction will act between them. However, when the blocks are moving relative to each other, kinetic friction comes into play. If a string connects the two blocks and is pulling on them, tension will be present in the string.
Let's consider the two blocks attached by a string. To find the tension in the string, we need to analyse the forces acting on both blocks and use Newton's second law. Because the problem states that the two blocks are accelerating, we treat the acceleration of both blocks as equal. Therefore, we would need to set up a system of equations to solve for the unknown quantities, including the tension in the string.
For example, if we have a scenario where block 1 has a mass m1, and block 2 has a mass m2, with a force F being applied to block 2, we need to account for the mass of each block, the force applied, and any frictional forces if present when calculating the tension in the string. The comprehensive approach would involve creating free-body diagrams for each block, identifying all forces, and writing down the equations of motion based on Newton's law to find the acceleration and tension.