Question

Suppose you use an ideal pulley of the type shown in Figure 5.18(b) and find it necessary to exert a force of 360 N to support a load.

(a) What is the load's mass?
(108 { kg})
(b) What force is exerted on the ceiling? Neglect the pulley system's mass.

a) (10.8 { N (upward)})
b) (1080 { N (upward)})
c) (36 { N (upward)})
d) (3600 { N (upward)})

Answer 1

To find the load's mass, divide the tension by the acceleration due to gravity. To find the force exerted on the ceiling, multiply the mass by the acceleration due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

a) To find the load's mass, we can use the formula:

Tension = mass x g,

where Tension is the force exerted to support the load, mass is the mass of the load, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Given that the tension is 360 N, we can rearrange the formula to solve for mass:

mass = Tension / g = 360 N / 9.8 m/s^2 = 36.73 kg.

Therefore, the load's mass is 36.73 kg.

b) To find the force exerted on the ceiling, we can use the formula:

Tension = mass x g,

where Tension is the force exerted to support the load, mass is the mass of the load, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Using the previously calculated mass of 36.73 kg, we can calculate the force exerted on the ceiling:

force = Tension = 36.73 kg x 9.8 m/s^2 = 359.61 N.

Therefore, the force exerted on the ceiling is 359.61 N.