What Happens to the Acceleration When the Thread Snaps?

[Ulti]

Homework Statement

A mass of 1kg is suspended from a 50N spring balance, and then a thread from the first mass suspends a further mass of 2kg. The thread is then burned through. What is the acceleration of each mass at the instant the thread snaps?

Homework Equations

F=ma

The Attempt at a Solution

Well the problem is that I don't understand the question; I am not sure how to include the 50N.
Can someone reword the question for me so that it is more understandable?

At the moment I'm thinking F=(3g+50/g)+(3+50/g)a

 

[saltine]

I think the 50N is mentioned to tell you that the spring is capable of suspending the two masses, and to spring back if the mass at the bottom is suddenly detached.

Before the thread is burnt, the spring is exerting the required to lift both masses against gravity. When the thread is burnt, the spring would suddenly yank the mass on top upward. The question is asking for the accelerations of the two masses in that instance.

If the question did not mention that the spring is 50N, and the spring was only 5N, then even if the thread is burnt, the load on top would not move because the spring itself is not strong enough to lift it.

 

[thomate1]

= 0.

The question is asking for the acceleration of each mass when the thread connecting them is snapped. The 50N is the force acting on the first mass due to gravity, and it is balanced by the spring balance. So, when the thread is burned, the only force acting on the masses is gravity, which can be represented by the equation F=ma.

To solve for the acceleration, we can use the equation F=ma and set the force equal to the weight of each mass (1kg and 2kg) multiplied by the acceleration. So, for the first mass (1kg), the equation would be 50N=1kg*a. Solving for a, we get a=50N/1kg=50m/s^2. For the second mass (2kg), the equation would be 2kg*a=2kg*9.8m/s^2 (since the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s^2). Solving for a, we get a=9.8m/s^2.

So, the acceleration of the first mass is 50m/s^2 and the acceleration of the second mass is 9.8m/s^2 at the instant the thread snaps.