Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Force and Motion–II: Problem 60_GO

In Fig. 6.35, a box of ant aunts (total mass \(m_1 = 1.65\text{ kg}\)) and a box of ant uncles (total mass \(m_2 = 3.30\text{ kg}\)) slide down an inclined plane while attached by a massless rod parallel to the plane. The angle of incline is \(\theta = 30.0^\circ\). The coefficient of kinetic friction between the aunt box and the incline is \(\mu_1 = 0.226\); that between the uncle box and the incline is \(\mu_2 = 0.113\). Compute (a) the tension in the rod and (b) the magnitude of the common acceleration of the two boxes. (c) How would the answers to (a) and (b) change if the uncles trailed the aunts?