A 125.0-N sign is suspended from a horizontal strut of negligible weight. The force exerted on the strut by the wall is horizontal. Draw an FBD to show the forces acting on the strut. (Do this on paper. Your instructor may ask you to turn in this work.)
Find the tension T in the diagonal cable supporting the strut.
To draw a Free Body Diagram (FBD) for the strut, we need to identify the forces acting on it.
First, let's visualize the situation. A sign is suspended from a horizontal strut, and the force exerted on the strut by the wall is horizontal. Additionally, there is a diagonal cable supporting the strut.
Now, let's start drawing the FBD:
1. Draw a simple diagram representing the strut. You can use a straight line to represent the strut.
2. Label the diagram with points of interest. For clarity, you can label the ends of the strut as "A" and "B", with "A" being the end connected to the wall, and "B" being the end where the sign is attached.
3. Identify the forces acting on the strut. The forces that we need to consider are the tension in the diagonal cable, the vertical force due to the sign's weight, and the horizontal force exerted by the wall.
4. Draw the tension force, "T", acting on the strut. Since the diagonal cable supports the strut, the tension force will be directed along the diagonal, from point "A" to point "B".
5. Draw the vertical force due to the sign's weight. Since the sign weighs 125.0 N and is hung from the strut, we can represent this force as a downward arrow at point "B". Label the force as "W".
6. Draw the horizontal force exerted by the wall. Since the force exerted by the wall is horizontal and is only on the strut, we can represent this force as a horizontal arrow pointing towards point "A". Label this force as "Fwall".
Your final FBD should include the strut (represented by a straight line), the tension force (T), the vertical force due to the sign's weight (W), and the horizontal force exerted by the wall (Fwall).
To find the tension, T, in the diagonal cable supporting the strut, you would need to apply the concept of equilibrium. Since the strut is not moving horizontally or vertically, the sum of the vertical forces acting on it must be zero, and the sum of the horizontal forces acting on it must also be zero.
Using this concept, you can set up equations to solve for the tension, T.