Particle accelerating

[markosheehan]

I am stuck on question 8. the equation i got for the wedge is .6R -.5S=ma r stands for relative force of the particle s stands for relative force of the wedge . i got the equation 4mg-R=5m(.6a) for the particle where a stands for acceleration of the wedge. does anyone know where to go from here. are my equations wrong? i have posted a picture of the question and a drew a picture of the diagram

[Guest]

Your equations seem right to me.

Next work out S from R and the weight of the wedge. You should get
0.8R+mg=S

Now you have 3 equations in 3 unknowns (R, S, a):
0.6R-0.5S = ma
4mg-R = 5m(0.6a)
0.8R+mg = S

You can solve these simultaneous equations to get the value of a = (3/16)g.

Hope this helped,

R. Baber.