---
title: "A cart of mass \\(M\\) is attached to an ideal horizontal spring with spring constant \\(k\\). A small block of mass \\(m\\) is placed on top of the cart, as shown. The coefficient of static friction between the block and the cart is large enough that the block does not slip relative to the cart. The system is pulled a distance \\(A\\) from its equilibrium position and released from rest on a horizontal frictionless surface. Which of the following expressions represents the magnitude of the maximum acceleration \\(a_{\\text{max}}\\) of the block as it oscillates?"
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url: "https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/110881/"
date_modified: "2026-04-09T03:04:18+00:00"
---

# A cart of mass \(M\) is attached to an ideal horizontal spring with spring constant \(k\). A small block of mass \(m\) is placed on top of the cart, as shown. The coefficient of static friction between the block and the cart is large enough that the block does not slip relative to the cart. The system is pulled a distance \(A\) from its equilibrium position and released from rest on a horizontal frictionless surface. Which of the following expressions represents the magnitude of the maximum acceleration \(a_{\text{max}}\) of the block as it oscillates?

A cart of mass \(M\) is attached to an ideal horizontal spring with spring constant \(k\). A small block of mass \(m\) is placed on top of the cart, as shown. The coefficient of static friction between the block and the cart is large enough that the block does not slip relative to the cart. The system is pulled a distance \(A\) from its equilibrium position and released from rest on a horizontal frictionless surface. Which of the following expressions represents the magnitude of the maximum acceleration \(a_{\text{max}}\) of the block as it oscillates?

![A horizontal spring is attached to a vertical wall on the left. The other end of the spring is attached to a rectangular cart of mass M. On top of the cart sits a smaller rectangular block of mass m. The cart is on a flat horizontal surface. A dashed vertical line marks the equilibrium position of the cart's center. An arrow labeled A indicates the displacement of the cart to the right of the equilibrium line.](https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/ubq-diagrams/ubq-frq-generatedstem-fig-1-1775703857-81qSwX.jpg)

- **A.** \(\dfrac{kA}{M+m}\)
- **B.** \(\dfrac{kA}{M}\)
- **C.** \(\dfrac{kA}{m}\)
- **D.** \(\dfrac{kA}{2(M+m)}\)

*The answer key and step-by-step explanation are available to logged-in users at https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/110881/*