The tension in the string around a massless pulley is F/2 for each branch due to the absence of net force acting on the pulley. Since the pulley is weightless, it cannot experience acceleration, leading to the conclusion that the forces must balance out. Specifically, the forces acting on the pulley are T1 and T2, which must equal the applied force F, resulting in T1 + T2 = F. Under ideal conditions with no friction, T1 equals T2.
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Yes indeed. Since the pulley is massless, there cannot be a net force on it -- if there was, its acceleration would be infinite.phantomvommand said:
thanks for this. What is not clear to me is how the F/2 force in each branch of the string acts to negate the F force on the pulley. At the "bend" of the string, wouldn't the forces there just be F/2 in 2 opposite directions, both of which are perpendicular to the direction of F on the pulley? How does the pulley experience the opposing force of F?Doc Al said: