Forces and laws of motion -- Big gorilla hanging from two vines

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on calculating the tension in two vines supporting a gorilla with a mass of 310 kg, hanging at an angle of 30.0° with the vertical. The correct approach involves using the formula for tension, which is derived from the equilibrium of forces acting on the gorilla. The participants identified that the textbook answer for the tension in each vine is 1.76 × 10^3 N, contrasting with an incorrect calculation of 2.03 × 10^3 N due to misunderstanding the use of cosine in the equations. A free-body diagram is essential for visualizing the forces involved.

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  • Understanding of free-body diagrams in physics
  • Knowledge of basic trigonometry, specifically cosine functions
  • Familiarity with Newton's laws of motion
  • Ability to perform calculations involving forces and tension
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  • Study the principles of static equilibrium in physics
  • Learn how to draw and interpret free-body diagrams
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HiReinhardt
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About 50 years ago, the San Diego Zoo, in California, had the largest gorilla on Earth: its mass was about 3.10 × 102 kg. Suppose a gorilla with this mass hangs from two vines, each of which makes an angle of 30.0° with the vertical. Draw a free-body diagram showing the various forces, and find the magnitude of the force of tension in each vine. What would happen to the tensions if the upper ends of the vines were farther apart?
I've been trying 310kg * 9.8m/s2/(2)(cos30)*(cos-30). This gives me 3038/1.5 = 2.03*10^3N. The textbook answer is 1.76*10^3. What detail may I possibly be missing?
 
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Why did you divide by cosine twice?
Also, that's one absolute unit of a gorilla :)
 
I was trying to follow the solution my teacher edition gave. I have no idea where the 2 in the denominator came from either. I finally got the solution by adding (Cos30) + (Cos-30) in the denominator.
 
HiReinhardt said:
I was trying to follow the solution my teacher edition gave. I have no idea where the 2 in the denominator came from either. I finally got the solution by adding (Cos30) + (Cos-30) in the denominator.
Working backwards from the given answer is no way to do these problems. Why not try doing as suggested:
problem statement said:
Draw a free-body diagram showing the various forces,
 
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