Question

Little Nellie Newton wishes to be a gymnast and hangs from a variety of 5 positions as shown. Since she is not accelerating, the net force on her is zero. This means the upward pull of the rope equals the downward pull of gravity. She weighs 300 N. Show the scale reading for each case.

Answer 1

For each of the five positions that Little Nellie Newton hangs from, the tension in the rope will equal her weight of 300 N, assuming she is not accelerating. The scale reading would reflect this tension as 300 N, indicating that the forces are balanced.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question relates to Newton's second law of motion and its applications in situations where an object is in static equilibrium. Specifically, the question deals with the concept of tension in a rope as it supports a mass, in this case, a girl's weight during various gymnastic positions. When Little Nellie Newton hangs from a rope and is not accelerating, the net force acting on her must be zero. This scenario enforces that the tension in the rope is equal to the gravitational force (her weight).

The student is asked to show the scale reading for each case when Nellie's weight is given as 300 N. For each of these positions, as long as Nellie does not accelerate, which means she is stationary or moving at a constant speed, the tension in the rope holding her will always be 300 N to balance out her weight. Thus, the scale would also read 300 N for each position she hangs from, demonstrating that the forces are in balance.