A scientific sensor module AAA, of mass 1.5 kg, is positioned on a rough track inclined at an angle α \alpha\,α to the horizontal, where sinα=0.6\sin\alpha = 0.6sinα=0.6. A light, inextensible cable is fastened to A A\,A and runs parallel to the line of greatest slope until it passes over a smooth fixed pulley at the top of the track. The other end of the cable is connected to a weighted canister BBB, of mass 8.5 kg, which is suspended vertically so that the cable is taut.
The system is released from rest and B B\,B descends vertically with an acceleration of 0.7g ms-2. Show that the coefficient of friction, μ\muμ, between A A\,A and the track is 0.5.
In this part of the question use g=9.8 ms−2g = 9.8 \text{ ms}^{-2}g=9.8 ms−2. At the instant the speed of the sensor module A A\,A reaches 4.2 ms-1, the cable snaps. (i) Calculate the distance travelled by A A\,A from the moment the cable snaps until it first comes to instantaneous rest. (ii) Suggest one physical factor omitted from this model that could influence the calculated distance.
130 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Maths Applications of Forces, covering 7.1 Static Particles, 7.2 Modelling with Statics, 7.3 Friction and Static Particles, 7.4 Static Rigid Bodies, 7.5 Dynamics and Inclined Planes, and 7.6 Connected Particles 2. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.