What happens when two people pull on a rope with different forces?

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The discussion revolves around the physics of tension in a rope when two individuals exert different forces while pulling on it. Participants are exploring the implications of varying forces and the resulting effects on tension and movement.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to understand the relationship between the forces exerted on the rope and the resulting tension. Questions are raised about what happens when one person pulls harder than the other and how that affects the movement of the individuals involved.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants sharing their thoughts on the effects of unequal forces. Some guidance has been offered regarding the concept of net force and its direction, but there is still uncertainty about the implications for tension in the rope.

Contextual Notes

Participants are grappling with the definitions and assumptions related to tension and net force in the context of this scenario. There may be a lack of clarity regarding how these concepts interact when forces are unequal.

Kristin
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I know that if two people are pulling on a rope with the same force, the tension in the rope is the force that one of them is pulling at because the rope is pulling back or something like that. I don't really understand how this concept works. What happens if they are pulling on the rope with different forces?
 
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if they are pulling from opposite sides of the rope, what would you think happens if someone is pulling harder than the other?
 
If one person pulls harder, the other person would most likely move. I would think that the tension in the rope would be the larger pull, but that doesn't really make sense either.
 
You are right. So in this case, there would be a net force = (stronger pull - weaker pull) in the direction of the person pulling harder.
 

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