"Cary Kittrell" <cary at afone.as.arizona.edu> wrote in message
news:ahk14h$ib0$1 at oasis.ccit.arizona.edu...
> In article "John Knight" <johnknight at usa.com> writes:
>> <Sqr means square-root of the equation in the parenthesis ().
> <So, the resulting velocity would be the same, as the same time is spent
on
> <the fall, and the tension would be zero.
>> The "resulting velocity would be the same" if both masses were
experiencing
> the same acceleration the instant of release, but they were not. The
> bottom mass was experiencing -2mg downards due to gravity and +2mg upwards
> due to the tension in the spring. The upper mass is experiencing a
> now unopposed -mg downwards due to gravity and a -2mg downwards due
> to the same spring tension. You figure it out.
But they really are experiencing the same acceleration at the instant of
release.
Also, you're assuming the value of the unknown.
