A particle of mass 24 kg is attached to two light elastic strings, each of natural length 33 cm and elastic constant k - Leaving Cert Applied Maths - Question 7 - 2011
Question 7
A particle of mass 24 kg is attached to two light elastic strings, each of natural length 33 cm and elastic constant k.
The other ends of the strings are attached t... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A particle of mass 24 kg is attached to two light elastic strings, each of natural length 33 cm and elastic constant k - Leaving Cert Applied Maths - Question 7 - 2011
Step 1
Show that the extension of each string is 7 cm.
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Answer
To show that the extension of each string is 7 cm, we start by analyzing the geometry of the situation.
Using the trigonometric relationships,
We can find the length of the strings when the mass is hanging:
The angle α can be found using:
[ \tan(\alpha) = \frac{3}{4} \rightarrow \alpha = \tan^{-1}\left(\frac{3}{4}\right) ]
Using the cosine rule in the triangle formed, we can relate the lengths:
For the horizontal distance, we have:
[ 64 = 2 \cdot (33 + x) \cdot \cos(\alpha) ]
From the triangle properties:
Let ( cos(\alpha) =\frac{4}{5}), then we can set up the equation:
[ \frac{4}{5} = \frac{32}{33 + x} ]