Wire Tension Measurement: Tips for Accurate Results | enhancedmonkey

[EnhancedMonkey]

OK, I have a very thin piece of wire streched between two points, one end is fixed and the other is able to move closer or away from the other fixed point to increase or decrease the tension.

(static point)---------wire-----------(movable point) pull >>>

I would like to be able to measure the wire tension. I have a small spring scale that I will probably use (units in grams). I was wondering, if I were to attach the spring scale to the center of the wire (sort of hang it from the scale so it's able to pull the spring down when tension is increased), would the reading on the scale be equal to the force pulling on the movable point or would it be a vector quantity?

Regards,
enhancedmonkey

 

[NateTG]

... would the reading on the scale be equal to the force pulling on the movable point or would it be a vector quantity?

The reading on the scale will usually not be equal in magnitude to the force pulling the wire straight, and they're obviously acting in different directions. If you measure the angles then you can use trig to derive the forces.