Question

A small sphere is hung by a string from the ceiling of a van. When the van is stationary, the sphere hangs vertically. However, when the van accelerates, the sphere swings backward so that the string makes an angle of è with respect to the vertical. Find the acceleration of the van when è = 10.0 °.

Answer 1

Let T = string tension

T cos 10 = M g
T sin 10 = M a

a/g = tan 10