Will Traffic Light Remain Hanging? Laws of Motion

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the stability of a traffic light weighing 122 N suspended by three cables, with two upper cables making angles of 37.0° and 53.0° with the horizontal. The upper cables can withstand a maximum tension of 100 N before breaking. The solution involves calculating the tension in each cable using the equations of equilibrium, specifically focusing on the horizontal and vertical components of the forces. The conclusion drawn is that if the calculated tensions exceed 100 N in either upper cable, the traffic light will not remain hanging.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Newton's laws of motion
  • Knowledge of vector resolution of forces
  • Familiarity with tension in cables and equilibrium conditions
  • Basic trigonometry for angle calculations
NEXT STEPS
  • Calculate the tension in the cables using equilibrium equations
  • Explore the concept of vector components in force analysis
  • Study the implications of breaking tension in cable systems
  • Learn about real-world applications of static equilibrium in engineering
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Physics students, engineering students, and professionals involved in structural analysis or mechanics who are interested in understanding the forces acting on suspended systems.

mooneh
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A traffic light weighing 122 N hangs from a cable tied to two other cables fastened to a support, the upper cable makes an angle of 37.0 and 53.0 with the horizontal. these upper cables are not as strong as the vertical cable and will break if the tension in them exceeds 100 N. will the traffic light remain hanging in this situation, or will one of the cables break ?

The attempt at a solution :
i thought that T3=T2+T1=mg
and T2 cos 53 + T2 sin53 + T1 cos 37 + T1 sin 37 = 1195.6

is that correct so far ??
 
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the system must balance itself if it is stable. horizontal and vertical components of everything adds to zero respectively. so you need to work out for each cable the horizontal and vertical component of force on them then vector sum them to see whether the magnitude is bigger than 100N or not. that's the strategy
 
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