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Three identical smooth spheres, each of mass m, are kept on a smooth horizontal plane in contact with one another, and are kept together by an endless string in the plane of their centers, just fitting them. Find the tension developed in the string when a fourth identical sphere is placed over the void created by the three balls.

User Amik
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Final answer:

The question relates to physics, specifically mechanics, and involves calculating the tension in a string due to the placement of spheres in equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves finding the tension in a string that holds together four identical spheres, where three are on a horizontal plane and the fourth is placed above them in a void. This scenario is a classic problem in mechanics, a subset of physics, often found at the high school level.

To solve this problem, one must consider the physical forces at play, such as gravity and tension, and apply principles of static equilibrium. Without the specific details of the arrangement (like the size of the spheres or the exact configuration), a direct computation cannot be provided.

However, one would typically use Newton's laws and equations for static equilibrium, considering the forces along both horizontal and vertical directions to calculate the tension in the string.

To find the tension developed in the string when a fourth sphere is placed over the void created by the three balls, we must consider the equilibrium of forces. Since the spheres are identical and kept in contact with each other on a smooth surface, their weights will cancel out and not contribute to the tension in the string.

The tension in the string created by the existing three spheres will be balanced by the weight of the fourth sphere. Therefore, the tension in the string will be equal to the weight of the fourth sphere, which is given by T = mg.

User Subba Rao
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