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Pulling a package up a ramp
In a warehouse you have designed a method to help get heavy packages up a 15 degrees ramp. In the system, a package is attached to a rope which runs parallel to the ramp and over a pulley at the top of the ramp. The other end of the rope is attached to a counterweight which hangs straight down. The counterweight is twice the mass of the package. In a separate test you find that a 50 kg package on a flat surface made of the same material as the ramp moves at a constant speed when pushed with a force of 250 N. What is the acceleration of the package?
Since no mass is listed for the package, should I assume that it is also 50 kg? And should the force pulling it up just be 2*50kg*g?
Customer support service by UserEcho
It does not give you the mass because you do not need the actual mass, just the relative masses of the two boxes. Technically, you could assume it is 50kg and the same answer, but I think you will find it more beneficial to call the mass "m" and solve without a value for it.
There will be multiple forces on both blocks, so it will not be as easy as saying "The force on it is__." You will need to draw a force diagram for both blocks.
I hope this helps you get started!