I don't know how to find tension in a cable

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sar1994
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Cable Tension
AI Thread Summary
To find the tension in a cable holding a 1130kg car on a ramp at a 25° angle, start by drawing a force diagram. The gravitational force acting on the car can be broken into two components: one parallel to the ramp and one perpendicular. The tension in the cable and the gravitational component along the ramp must balance each other out since the car is stationary. The normal force can be ignored in this scenario, simplifying the calculations. Understanding these forces is crucial for determining the tension in the cable.
Sar1994
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I don't know hwo to find tension in a cable with two angles in the diagram.

I have a car that weighs 1130kg held in place with a cable on a ramp that forms an angle of 25° above horizontal and the cable makes an angle of 31° above the surface of the ramp. I have to find the tension in the cable and I don't know how! Please help
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Draw a force diagram first. You can see the gravitational force pulls down but the ramp changes things.

Find the force of gravity pulling the car down break it into two components with one component along the ramp. That component and the tension T on the cable must add to zero.
 
jedishrfu - I don't think that's quite correct. The rope isn't parallel with the ramp.

I would still approach it the same way. The car is stationary so the forces in any direction sum to zero. Let's choose the direction of the ramp that way the normal force of the car can be ignored.

In the direction of the ramp you have two forces:

1) A component of gravity
2) A component of tension in the rope.

These two sum to zero.
 

Thread '1:1 versus 2:1 Mechanical Advantage debate'

The rope is tied into the person (the load of 200 pounds) and the rope goes up from the person to a fixed pulley and back down to his hands. He hauls the rope to suspend himself in the air. What is the mechanical advantage of the system? The person will indeed only have to lift half of his body weight (roughly 100 pounds) because he now lessened the load by that same amount. This APPEARS to be a 2:1 because he can hold himself with half the force, but my question is: is that mechanical...
View full post »

Thread 'Average velocity as a weighted mean'

Hello everyone, Consider the problem in which a car is told to travel at 30 km/h for L kilometers and then at 60 km/h for another L kilometers. Next, you are asked to determine the average speed. My question is: although we know that the average speed in this case is the harmonic mean of the two speeds, is it also possible to state that the average speed over this 2L-kilometer stretch can be obtained as a weighted average of the two speeds? Best regards, DaTario
View full post »

Thread 'Newton's first law?'

Some physics textbook writer told me that Newton's first law applies only on bodies that feel no interactions at all. He said that if a body is on rest or moves in constant velocity, there is no external force acting on it. But I have heard another form of the law that says the net force acting on a body must be zero. This means there is interactions involved after all. So which one is correct?
View full post »

Similar threads

Calculating amount of sag and tension for 1/8 steel cable
Replies
11
Views
9K
I [Question] Calculating the force generated by a tarp hung between two walls
Replies
14
Views
2K
How to calculate the perpendicular tension?
Replies
8
Views
4K
How to calculate tension in a cable
Replies
13
Views
12K
B What is tension and how does it affect a rope?
Replies
2
Views
2K
Finding the tension of two cables holding an object at rest
Replies
7
Views
2K
Tension in a catenary curve - Cable Camera
Replies
7
Views
6K
First sem. calc physics: Cable tension (vectors and acceleration)
Replies
9
Views
3K
Problem involving space elevators
Replies
19
Views
2K
I Understanding tension and centripedal force in a puck and weight
Replies
4
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top