Block A and Block B in the figure below are connected by a string of negligible mass. There is a force on A with a magnitude of FA=20N and a force on B with a magnitude FB=34N in the directions shown in the figure. What is the tension in the string?
I have no idea how they are hooked together.
To find the tension in the string, we need to determine the net force acting on the system of blocks A and B.
First, let's analyze the forces acting on each block individually.
For Block A:
- There is a force FA of 20N acting on it in the right direction.
- There is tension in the string pulling Block A in the left direction.
For Block B:
- There is a force FB of 34N acting on it in the left direction.
- There is tension in the string pulling Block B in the right direction.
Since the blocks are connected by a string, the tension in the string will be the same for both blocks.
Now, let's calculate the net force acting on Block A:
Net force on A = Force on A - Force from B
= FA - Tension
Similarly, let's calculate the net force acting on Block B:
Net force on B = Force on B - Force from A
= FB - Tension
Since the tension in the string is the same for both blocks, we can set the two net forces equal to each other:
FA - Tension = FB - Tension
Now, let's substitute the given values:
20N - Tension = 34N - Tension
Simplifying the equation, we can eliminate the term 'Tension':
20N = 34N
However, we notice that this equation leads to a contradiction, which means there is no solution. This result indicates that the information given is inconsistent, and there might be an error in the problem statement or in the values provided. Please double-check the given values and the information provided in the figure to resolve the inconsistency.