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Tension in a string being pulled from both ends
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[QUOTE="PeroK, post: 4986191, member: 493650"] Let's consider two cases: 1) A rope is bring pulled at both ends with the same force. 60N, say. 2) A rope is attached to a wall at one end and being pulled with a force of 60N at the other. What is the difference in these two cases? The answer is there is no difference. Newton's third law tells you that the wall must be pulling the rope with 60N. Now, let's say that's what we mean by a tension in the rope of 60N. Both ends are being pulled with the same force. To understand this better think of the rope as a series of links in a chain. Each pair of links is pulling the other with 60N in opposite directions. So, you have a whole series of these pairs of 60N forces, all the way along the chain. To take it to the next level, think about the adjacent molecules in the rope. At that level you have a large number of pairs of forces between adjacent molecules all the way along the rope. That's what tension is and it's always a two-way thing. Finally, to think about the non equilibrium case. If you attach one end of the rope to an object that, say, resists at 60N (friction on the floor perhaps) and pull the other at 90N, then the tension in the rope will be 90N and the object will start to accelerate. [/QUOTE]
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Tension in a string being pulled from both ends
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