A pulley carrying two masses m₁ and m₂ is attached to the ceiling of a lift moving upward with acceleration a₀. The spring supporting the pulley has deformation x and spring constant k. The deformation x is:

Question

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

In the accelerating lift replace g by g+a₀. Atwood tension is T=2m₁m₂(g+a₀)/(m₁+m₂). The spring supports the pulley with force 2T, so kx=2T. Hence x=4m₁m₂(g+a₀)/[k(m₁+m₂)]. Option B.