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issisoccer10
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[SOLVED] Two masses connected by string on a cliff...
This is a general question about physics...and I'm a little confused about it..
Two equal masses (A and B) are attaced by a massless string of length L. Mass A is on a cliff and is L/2 away from the edge. Mass B is being held even horizonatally with the cliff but a length L/2 away from the edge. If you drop mass B from this position, would mass B swing down and hit the edge of the cliff before mass A reaches the edge of the cliff?
Mass A would reach the edge of the cliff because as mass B falls and pulls on A, the radius of the arc that B would need to make to reach the edge of the cliff would continually increase, thus not allowing B to hit the edge of the cliff.
Does this make sense or am I just making stuff up? Is there a better "logical" explanation that would seem to fit better with physics?
This is a general question about physics...and I'm a little confused about it..
Two equal masses (A and B) are attaced by a massless string of length L. Mass A is on a cliff and is L/2 away from the edge. Mass B is being held even horizonatally with the cliff but a length L/2 away from the edge. If you drop mass B from this position, would mass B swing down and hit the edge of the cliff before mass A reaches the edge of the cliff?
Mass A would reach the edge of the cliff because as mass B falls and pulls on A, the radius of the arc that B would need to make to reach the edge of the cliff would continually increase, thus not allowing B to hit the edge of the cliff.
Does this make sense or am I just making stuff up? Is there a better "logical" explanation that would seem to fit better with physics?