Lesson Plan: Applications of Newton’s Second Law: Two Masses Hanging from a Pulley Mathematics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to solve problems on the motion of a system of two bodies suspended vertically by a string passing over a smooth pulley.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- apply Newton’s second law to solve problems involving a system of bodies and a smooth pulley,
- calculate unknowns including acceleration and string tension,
- calculate the force exerted on a pulley,
- solve multistep problems including those where the string snaps.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- Newton’s second law of motion and the formula ,
- calculating resultant forces,
- the equations of motion.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- problems involving pulleys and inclined planes.