Force and Motionfinding tension?

[MetalAttack]

Homework Statement

"Elevator cab is pulled upward by a cable. the cab and its one person inside weigh 2000kg.when that person drops a coin, its acceleration to the cab is 8.00m/s^2.
what is the tension in the cable?

I feel as tho i know what to do but the "tension" is throwing me off. I've never been asked to find it before. is there any other ways this might be worded for understanding?

Homework Equations

m=2000kg
Fx=MAx
Fy=MAy

The Attempt at a Solution

I am unsure how to add drawing in here. but basicly i made a free-body-diagram.
with Fg(gravity) and a arrow pointing downwards. Fg=mg >> Fg=(2000)(9.81)= 19620
and with F or "N" for normal pointing upwards ^.

I am not looking for anyone to do this. just some hints and ideas as how to start :(
thank you

 

[fizzynoob]

you need to sum the forces; the sum of those forces must equal the net Force

Sum of the Forces in Y = T - mg = ma; where a is the acceleration of the whole system

 

[MetalAttack]

Sum of the Forces in Y = T - mg = ma; where a is the acceleration of the whole system

Fy= T -mg = ma
Fy= T = ma + mg
Fy= T = m(a+g)

T=time?
m=mass 2000kg
a=8.00m/s^2
g=-9.8a

correct?

 

[fizzynoob]

T does not equal time, it is tension. Maybe i should of put Ft.

So you solved for T right, now you your acceleration and you know gravity. Plug in values

 

[rwisz]

I would suggest starting by breaking down the problem into smaller parts and identifying the forces at play. In this case, we have the force of gravity pulling the elevator cab and person downward, and the tension force from the cable pulling the cab upward.

To find the tension in the cable, we can use Newton's second law, which states that the net force on an object is equal to its mass multiplied by its acceleration (F=ma). In this case, we know the mass of the cab and person (2000kg) and the acceleration caused by the person dropping the coin (8.00m/s^2).

To find the net force, we can use the equation Fnet = Fg + Ft, where Fg is the force of gravity and Ft is the tension force. We already know the value of Fg (19620N), so we can rearrange the equation to solve for Ft: Ft = Fnet - Fg.

Since we know the mass and acceleration, we can calculate the net force using the equation Fnet = ma. Plugging in the values, we get Fnet = (2000kg)(8.00m/s^2) = 16000N.

Finally, we can calculate the tension force by plugging in the values for Fnet and Fg: Ft = (16000N) - (19620N) = -3620N.

The negative sign indicates that the tension force is acting in the opposite direction of the force of gravity, as expected since the cable is pulling the cab upward.

In summary, to find the tension in the cable, we used Newton's second law and the equation Fnet = ma, along with the equation Ft = Fnet - Fg. It's important to carefully consider all the forces at play and break down the problem into smaller, manageable steps.