When a 117 N bag of nails hangs motionless
from a single vertical strand of rope, how
much tension is exerted in the strand?
Answer in units of N
117 N
Nothing is accelerating. The tension up from the rope has to balance the weight of the bag down.
To calculate the tension exerted in the strand of rope, we need to consider the forces acting on the bag of nails.
When the bag hangs motionless, there are two forces acting on it:
1. The force of gravity pulling the bag downwards with a magnitude of 117 N.
2. The tension force exerted by the strand of rope pulling the bag upwards.
Since the bag is motionless, the net force acting on it must be zero. This means that the tension force exerted by the strand of rope must be equal in magnitude to the force of gravity.
Therefore, the tension in the strand of rope is 117 N.