Final answer:
Students' muscles must contract to create tension in the rope when pulling it, in accordance with Newton's third law. Adjusting pull frequency, amplitude, or stepping back can increase this tension and force transmission.
Step-by-step explanation:
When students' muscles pull on the rope, they primarily execute an action known as tension. In physics, when a force is applied to a rope, it creates tension that is transmitted throughout the length of the rope. This tension must be parallel to the length of the rope and is an example of Newton's third law, which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As students pull the rope, the rope pulls back with equal force. The force of tension is transferred to the students, and if the forces are unbalanced, it causes the teams to accelerate in opposite directions. For this to happen, the muscles of the students must contract, converting chemical energy into mechanical energy that exerts a pull on the rope.
To increase the tension, a student could modify various factors such as the frequency or amplitude of their pull, or step backward while pulling the rope. This would result in greater force transmission through the rope. Hence, pulling on a rope involves a complex interaction between muscle contraction, force generation, and the physical properties of the rope itself.