Newton's second law, friction and connected systems

Learning objectives

Apply Newton's second law in component form to find the acceleration of a system from the net force acting on it, or the net force from a measured acceleration

Distinguish static friction, which varies up to a maximum of μ_s F_N, from kinetic friction of magnitude μ_k F_N, and determine a coefficient of friction from experimental data

Analyze objects on an inclined plane by resolving the gravitational force into components parallel and perpendicular to the surface

Solve problems involving connected objects, such as blocks joined by a light inextensible string over an ideal pulley, by writing Newton's second law for each object and combining the equations

Explain the difference between mass and weight, and calculate the apparent weight of a person in an accelerating lift from the normal force

Design an experiment to test how acceleration depends on net force and on mass, identifying independent, dependent and controlled variables and interpreting the slope of the resulting graph