Dynamics Dungeon: Tug of Two Blocks
PREDICT
How this connects to AP Physics 1 (Topic 2.5, Newton's Second Law): treat both blocks as one system to find the acceleration, a = F/(m₁ + m₂). Then apply Newton's second law to one block alone to find the tension: the string is the only horizontal force on block 2, so T = m₂a. The string pulls with less force than the hand does.