- #1
flemonster
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Homework Statement
The two angled ropes used to support the crate in the figure below can withstand a maximum tension of 1900 N before they break.
A.) Which of the ropes would break first?
B.) What is the largest mass the ropes can support before breaking?
Homework Equations
F = ma
Weight force = mg
The Attempt at a Solution
A.) I got the answer to this by taking 1900 for the tension in each rope and figuring out the y-components of the tension with the equation:
Ty = 1900 * sinθ
This gave me 950 for the 30° rope and 1344 for the 45° rope. That means the 45° rope will break first.
B.) I'm not sure if I'm on the right track here but I'll show what I came up with. Since I know the 45° rope will break first then I can pretty much ignore the other rope and figure out the mass that will make the 45° rope snap. I said:
1900*sin45 = 9.8m
That gave me a mass of 137 kg. Whaddaya think? Is it on?
*I realize the angles in the pic are not to scale. Please forgive the hastily drawn paintbrush pic.