Question

Calculating Net Force Two men pull on a rope. The man on the left has an arrow pointing left over his head labeled F subscript p2 = 90 N. The man on the right has an arrow over his head pointing right labeled F subscript p1 = 75 N. During a game of tug-of-war, two people pull on a rope, as shown in the image. What is the net force acting on the rope? N In which direction do the people move?

Answer 1

The net force on the rope is 15 N to the left, and the people move in the left direction.

In this tug-of-war scenario, the net force acting on the rope can be determined by finding the difference between the forces applied by the two individuals. The person on the left exerts a force (Fp2) of 90 N to the left, while the person on the right exerts a force (Fp1) of 75 N to the right. The net force is then calculated as the difference between these forces: 90N−75N=15N to the left.

The direction in which the net force acts dictates the direction of motion. Since the net force is 15 N to the left, the people will move in the left direction. This reflects the idea that the side with the greater force will pull the rope in their direction, resulting in a net force acting on the rope in the direction of the stronger force.