Magnitude of force during a tug of war

[bmandrade]

so u have a tug of war with your little sister who is lighter and smaller that you. You both pull hard but at the end in a standoff with neither of you moving much. Compare magnitude o the force you exert on your sister with the magnitude of the force she exerts on you. Are the different or same? if the are not the same which is larger? why or why not?


Ok I would say that the force exerted by you is greater than the the force exerted by the little girl however it says that at the end nither one wins so that would mean that you both exert the same magnitude on each other right? can someone explain

 

[tiny-tim]

Hi bmandrade!

(assume that neither you nor your sister moves at all)

Questions like this can always be solved by using Newton's three laws.

So … what are Newton's three laws, and which one do you think will help here?

 

[thomate1]

this

I would first clarify that the magnitude of force is a measure of the strength or intensity of a force, and it is measured in units of Newtons (N). In a tug of war scenario, the force exerted by each person is equal to the tension in the rope, which is the force that pulls in opposite directions on the two ends of the rope.

In this specific scenario, where one person is larger and stronger than the other, it is possible that the larger person may exert a greater force on the rope. However, the smaller person may be able to use leverage and technique to counteract this and exert an equal force on the rope.

Therefore, it is not accurate to say that one person exerts a greater force on the other. Rather, both individuals are exerting equal and opposite forces on each other through the rope. This is known as Newton's Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In the end, the fact that neither person is able to move much in this tug of war suggests that the forces exerted by both individuals are equal. If one person's force was significantly greater than the other's, then that person would have been able to pull the other person towards them.

In conclusion, in a tug of war scenario, the magnitude of force exerted by each person on the other is equal due to Newton's Third Law. The outcome of the tug of war does not necessarily determine the magnitude of force exerted, as other factors such as leverage and technique can also play a role.