10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 3 - Forces Part One

PSS5.1:Don'tRocktheBlock

LearningGoal:
TopracticeProblemSolvingStrategy5.1forequilibriumproblems.

Apairofstudentsareliftingaheavytrunkonmoveinday.Usingtwo
ropestiedtoasmallringatthecenterofthetopofthetrunk,theypull
thetrunkstraightupataconstantvelocityv .Eachropemakesan

anglewithrespecttothevertical.Themagnitudeoftheweightofthe
trunkisw.

FindthetensionT ineachrope.

MODEL:Makesimplifyingassumptions.

VISUALIZE:

PhysicalrepresentationIdentifyallforcesactingontheobjectandshowthemonafreebodydiagram.
PictorialrepresentationThefreebodydiagramisusuallysufficientasapictureforequilibriumproblems,butyou
stillmusttranslatewordsintosymbolsandidentifywhattheproblemistryingtofind.
Itisacceptablepracticetogobackandforthbetweenthesetwostepsasyouvisualizethesituation.

SOLVE:ThemathematicalrepresentationisbasedonNewton's1stlaw:

F net = F i = 0.
i

Thevectorsumoftheforcesisfounddirectlyfromthefreebodydiagram.

ASSESS:Checkifyourresulthasthecorrectunits,isreasonable,andanswersthequestion.

Model
Startbychoosinganappropriatemodelfortheproblemandbymakingappropriatesimplifyingassumptions.

PartA
Inthisproblem,thetrunkshouldbemodeledas
ANSWER:

aparticleinstaticequilibrium.

aparticleindynamicequilibrium.

aparticlenotinequilibrium.

https://session.masteringphysics.com/myct/itemView?view=print&assignmentProblemID=83957187 1/5
10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 3 - Forces Part One

Correct
Despitethefactthatv 0,thevelocityofthetrunkisconstant.Therefore,theaccelerationofthetrunkiszero,andthe
trunkisindynamicequilibrium.

PartB
Doesyourmodelofthisproblemneedtoincludeairresistance?
ANSWER:

yes

no

Correct

Visualize
Drawafreebodydiagramthatincludesalltheforcesactingonthetrunk.Useacoordinatesystemwiththeyaxisverticaland
theropesbothinthexyplane.Useyourdiagramtoanswerthefollowingquestion.

PartC
Howmanyforcesareactingonthetrunk?
ANSWER:

one

two

three

four

Correct

PartD
Whichofthefollowingstatementsarecorrect?
Checkallthatapply.
ANSWER:

https://session.masteringphysics.com/myct/itemView?view=print&assignmentProblemID=83957187 2/5
10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 3 - Forces Part One

Thexcomponentoftheweightofthetrunkiszero.

Theycomponentoftheweightofthetrunkiszero.

Thexcomponentsoftheforcesoftensionintheropeshavethesamemagnitudeandsign.

Thexcomponentsoftheforcesoftensionintheropeshavethesamemagnitudeandoppositesign.

Theycomponentsoftheforcesoftensionintheropeshavethesamemagnitudeandsign.

Theycomponentsoftheforcesoftensionintheropeshavethesamemagnitudeandoppositesign.

Thexcomponentoftheaccelerationofthetrunkiszero.

Theycomponentoftheaccelerationofthetrunkiszero.

Theanglebetweentheropesis.

Theanglebetweentheropesis2.

Correct

Solve
StartingwithNewton's1stlaw,constructthenecessarymathematicalexpressionsandderivethesolution.

PartE
FindtheforceoftensionT ineachrope.
Expressyouranswerintermsofvariablesgivenintheproblemintroduction.

Hint1.Identifythecorrectequation
Fromthevisualizestep,youknowthattheycomponentofthetensioninbothropesisthesamelabelitTy .

WhichofthefollowingequationsisthecorrectformofNewton's1stlawfortheycomponentofthenetforceactingon
thetrunk?
ANSWER:

Ty w = 0

2Ty w = 0

2Ty + w = 0

Ty + w = 0

Hint2.RelateTy toT

FindTy ,themagnitudeoftheycomponentofthetension.

ExpressyouranswerintermsofT and.
https://session.masteringphysics.com/myct/itemView?view=print&assignmentProblemID=83957187 3/5
10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 3 - Forces Part One
ANSWER:

Ty = T cos()

ANSWER:

w
T = 2cos()

Correct

Assess
Nowanswerthefollowingquestionstoverifythattheansweryoujustobtainedisreasonable.

PartF
Intuitively,whatwillhappentothevalueofT ifthestudentstrytoliftaheaviertrunk?Assumethatallotherconditions
remainthesame.
ANSWER:

T willincrease.

T willdecrease.

T willremainthesame.

Correct
Ofcourse,themathematicalexpressionforT predictsthisresult:Aswincreases,sodoesT .

PartG
Intuitively,whatwillhappentothevalueofT ifthestudentstrytostandfartherapartsothattheropesmakeagreaterangle
withthevertical?Assumethatallotherconditionsremainthesame.
ANSWER:

T willincrease.

T willdecrease.

T willremainthesame.

https://session.masteringphysics.com/myct/itemView?view=print&assignmentProblemID=83957187 4/5
10/4/2017 MasteringPhysics: Assignment 3 - Forces Part One

Correct
Astheangleincreases,agreaterfractionofthetotalforceexertedbythestudentsisbeingappliedinthesideways(x
^

)directionratherthanupward.Sincetheweightofthetrunkisconstant,thismeansthatthestudentsneedtopull
hardertoliftit.Ofcourse,themathematicalexpressionforT predictsthisresult:Asincreases,cos decreasesandT
increases.

PartH
Intuitively,whatshouldthevalueofT beifthestudentsstandclosetogethersothattheropesarevirtuallyvertical?
Expressyouranswerintermsofthegivenquantities.Youmayormaynotuseallofthem.

ANSWER:

w
T = 2

Correct
Ofcourse,themathematicalexpressionforT predictsthisresult:Ifiszero,cos andT
= 1 = w/2 .

https://session.masteringphysics.com/myct/itemView?view=print&assignmentProblemID=83957187 5/5