A 3.0-kg mass and a 5.0-kg mass hang vertically at the opposite ends of a rope that goes over an ideal pulley. If the masses are gently released from rest, how long does it take for the 3.0-kg mass to rise by 1.0 m?

The time taken will be 0.553 seconds.

Explanation:

We should start off by finding the force exerted by the rope on the 3kg weight in this case.

Weight of 5kg mass = 5 * 9.81 = 49.05 N

Weight of 3kg mass = 3 * 9.81 = 29.43 N

The force acting upward on the 3kg mass will equal the weight of the 5kg mass. Thus the resultant force acting on the 3kg mass is:

Total force = 49.05 - 29.43 = 19.62 N (upwards)

We can now find the acceleration:

F = m * a

19.62 = 3 * a

a = 6.54 m/s^2

We now use the following equation of motion to get the time taken to travel 1 meter:

t = 0.553 seconds