Why Does Tension Change in Different Motion Scenarios?

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Tension in a coupling remains even at uniform speed due to the need to counteract forces acting on the towed object, preventing it from detaching. When the car accelerates, the tension increases as it must overcome both the inertia of the van and the additional force from acceleration. For the crane scenarios, tension varies based on the load's state: it is zero when held at rest, increases with acceleration, and decreases when lowering the load. The fundamental principle of tension relies on Newton's second law, where force equals mass times acceleration. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for solving related physics problems effectively.
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Homework Statement



1. A car tows a van of mass 1000kg with uniform speed of 10m/s. The tension in the coupling is 500N. Explain why the thension is not zero. The car now accelerates at 2m/s^2. What is the new tension in the coupling?


2. A crane is to haul a mass of 1000kg onto a deck of a ship. Find the tension in the cable when the load is A Held at rest off the ground. B Raised with an acceleration of 0.5m/s^2 C Raised with uniform speed of 1.5 m/s D Lowered with an acceleration of 1m/s^2. E Brought to rest while being lowered at 0.4 m/s^2


The Attempt at a Solution


dunno
 
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That's unfotunate! Do you have no idea why there should be tension in a coupling even if there is no acceleration? What would happen to the trailer if the trailer hitch gave way? Why?

For the rest, surely you know that "force equal mass times acceleration"!
 

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