# Two Body Problems in Dynamics

Problems involving two bodies moving together usually involve asking for the magnitude of the force between the two.

For example:

A 1.0 kg and a 2.0 kg box are touching each other. A 12 N horizontal force is applied to the 2.0 kg box in order to accelerate both boxes across the floor. Ignoring friction, determine:

(a) the acceleration of the boxes, and

(b) the force acting between the boxes.

To solve for (b) requires an understanding that the free-body diagram of the 1.0 kg box can be considered independently as only the force acting between the two boxes contributes to its acceleration since it is the only force acting on it in the horizontal direction.

This interactive app allows for students to visualise the forces acting on the boxes separately as well as a single system.

The codes for embedding into SLS:

<iframe scrolling="no" title="Two Mass Problem" src="https://www.geogebra.org/material/iframe/id/fh5pwc37/width/638/height/478/border/888888/sfsb/true/smb/false/stb/false/stbh/false/ai/false/asb/false/sri/false/rc/false/ld/false/sdz/false/ctl/false" width="638px" height="478px" style="border:0px;"> </iframe>