1. Newton's second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. Mathematically, it can be expressed as F = ma, where F is the net force, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration.
2. The free-body diagram for block A will show the following forces:
- Weight of block A (mg), acting downwards
- Normal force from the table (N), acting upwards
- Tension in the string (T), acting to the right
- Force of friction (f), acting to the left
3. To calculate the acceleration of the blocks, we first need to find the net force acting on block A. The net force is equal to the difference between the force of tension and the force of friction. Therefore, Fnet = T - f.
Next, we can use Newton's second law to find the acceleration of the blocks: a = Fnet / mtotal, where mtotal is the total mass of the system (m1 + m2).
Substitute the given values and calculate the acceleration.
4. To calculate the tension in the string, we can use Newton's second law again. The tension in the string is equal to the force required to accelerate the two blocks together. Therefore, T = mtotal * a.
Substitute the previously calculated acceleration and total mass values to find the tension in the string.