(a) <span>Let: </span> <span>a be the acceleration of the system, </span> <span>g be the acceleration due to gravity, </span> <span>T be the tension in the string. </span>
<span>For mA: </span> <span>T = mA a </span>
<span>For mB: </span> <span>mB g - T = mB a </span>
<span>Adding to eliminate T: </span> <span>mB g = (mA + mB)a ...(1) </span>
<span>a = mB g / (mA + mB) </span> <span>= 7.0 * 9.81 / (11.0 + 7.0) </span> <span>= 3.815 m/s^2 </span> <span>= 3.82 m/s^2 to 3 sig. fig. </span>
<span>(b) </span> <span>Let: </span> <span>s be the distance to the edge of the table, </span> <span>t be the time taken. </span>
<span>s = at^2 / 2 </span> <span>t = sqrt(2s / a) </span> <span>= sqrt(2 * 1.250 / 3.815) </span> <span>= 0.810 sec to 3 sig. fig. </span>
"<span>The British hoped to tighten control over the empire" would be the best option, but the main reason beyond this was that they wanted to discourage trade with other nations, in order to increase profits. </span>