In the system shown in the diagram, all pulleys are frictionless and massless; however, the axle of the pulley on the left has a mass m as shown. The blocks have masses m1 and m2 as shown. The strings are ideal. Find the acceleration of block m2 after the system is released.

Guidelines for contributors

  • We ask that all solutions, preferably in Word format, be submitted to the dedicated email address challenges@aapt.org. Each message will receive an automatic acknowledgment.

  • If your name is—for instance—Leo Yao, please name the file “Yao21October” (do not include your first initial) when submitting the October 2021 solution.

  • The subject line of each message should be the same as the name of the solution file.

  • The deadline for submitting the solutions is the last day of the corresponding month.

  • Each month, a representative selection of the successful solvers’ names will...

AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.