To analyze the motion of two bodies of unequal mass connected by a light cord over a lightweight pulley. This type of system is called an Atwood s machine.
Theory Refer to the figure.
If Newton s Second Law is applied to each of the bodies of the Attwood s machine, one obtains two equations interrelating the quantities in the system. In applying Newton s Second Law, it is advantageous to choose the positive direction for each body such that it points in the direction of the body s acceleration. This means that the positive direction will point up for one body and down for the other body. Part 1 1. Refer to figure 1.