The figure shows a system consisting of three blocks, a light frictionless pulley, and light connecting ropes that act horizontally on the upper two blocks. The 9.0-kg block is on a perfectly smooth horizontal table. The surfaces of the 12-kg block are rough, with µk = 0.30 between the 12-kg and 9.0-kg blocks. The mass M of the hanging block is set so that it descends at a constant velocity of 3.25 m/s.
(a) What is the mass M of the hanging block?
(b) The mass M is now changed to 5.0 kg, causing it to accelerate downward after it is released. What is the acceleration of the hanging mass?
