In the figure below, a spider is resting after starting to spin its web. The gravitational force on the spider is 0.158 N on the junction of the three strands of silk. The junction is supported by different tension forces in the two strands above it so that the resultant force on the junction is zero. The two sloping strands are perpendicular, and we have chosen the x and y directions to be along them. The tension Tx is 0.104 N.
(a) Find the tension Ty.
N
(b) Find the angle the x axis makes with the horizontal.
°
(c) Find the angle the y axis makes with the horizontal.
°
it is difficult to help without a diagram.
Break the tension in each string into vertical and horizontal components. Then
The sum the horizontal components is zero.
The sum of the vertical components is equal to m*g
This will lead to a solution.
To solve this problem, we can use the concept of equilibrium and resolve the forces acting on the spider's silk junction.
(a) The resultant force on the junction is zero, so the sum of the forces in the x-direction and y-direction must be zero.
In the x-direction:
Tx - Ty = 0.104 N
Solving this equation will give us the value of Ty.
(b) To find the angle the x-axis makes with the horizontal, we can use trigonometry. The slope of the x-axis can be written as the tangent of the angle it makes with the horizontal:
tan(angle_x) = (Ty - 0) / (0.104)
By finding the inverse tangent of this value, we can determine the angle_x.
(c) Similarly, to find the angle the y-axis makes with the horizontal, we can consider the slope of the y-axis:
tan(angle_y) = 0 / (0.104)
Since the y-axis is vertical, the tangent of its angle with the horizontal is zero. Thus, angle_y = 0°.
Now, we can proceed to calculate the values.