Pull Force vs Tension: Toy Car on Pulley

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the forces acting on a toy car connected to a pulley system with weights. Participants explore the distinction between pull force and tension in the context of the car's acceleration when released. The scope includes conceptual clarification and technical reasoning related to forces in a physics context.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant states that the force causing the car to accelerate is either the pull force (Fp) or tension (Ft).
  • Another participant argues that gravity causes the car to move, but this force manifests as tension since it is the only connection between the weights and the car.
  • A participant shares their confusion regarding the terminology, noting that someone suggested it was a pull force while they believed it to be tension.
  • A later reply discusses the distinction between 'tension' as the internal force within the string and 'pull' as the force exerted by the string on the car, indicating a personal preference for terminology.
  • It is mentioned that if the string and pulley are assumed to be frictionless and massless, the tension and pull would be equal in strength.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the terminology used to describe the forces involved, with no consensus reached on whether the force is best described as pull force or tension.

Contextual Notes

There are assumptions regarding the frictionless and massless nature of the string and pulley, which may influence the discussion but remain unresolved.

yyttr2
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You have a toy car on a table and a single pulley on the end. You tie a string to the car, and the other end to some 20 gram weights next put the string on the single pulley.
The force causing the car to accelerate when you let it go is it Fp or Ft
(pull force or tension)
 
Last edited:
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the force of gravity causes the car to move. but the force will be in the form of tension since that is the only things connecting your weight to the car.
 
Reason I asked, because someone told me it was a pull force (because the rope is pulling on the car) when I thought it was tension...thanks
 
yyttr2 said:
You have a toy car on a table and a single pulley on the end. You tie a string to the car, and the other end to some 20 gram weights next put the string on the single pulley.
The force causing the car to accelerate when you let it go is it Fp or Ft
(pull force or tension)

yyttr2 said:
Reason I asked, because someone told me it was a pull force (because the rope is pulling on the car) when I thought it was tension...thanks

It seems to me your question is about language rather than physics.

- I would use the word 'tension' to refer to what is happening inside the string. Along the length the fibers of the string are under tension.
- I would use the word 'pull' to refer to the force that the string exerts upon the car. Gravity pulls on the string, the string pulls on the car.
But that's just my personal preference in how I would use those words.

Assuming the string and the pulley can be thought of as frictionless and massless, the tension and the pull will be equal in strength.

Cleonis
 

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