Final answer:
The tension in the rope can be determined using Newton's second law and the concept of net force. The net force is the difference between the forces exerted by the two teams. The magnitude of the acceleration can be calculated using the net force and the total mass of the teams.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tension in the rope can be determined using Newton's second law, which states that the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration.
In this case, the two teams are exerting forces in opposite directions, so the net force on the rope is the difference between the forces exerted by the two teams. The tension in the rope is equal to the net force.
To calculate the net force, we need the mass and acceleration of the teams. Given that each team has nine members and the average mass of each member is 68 kg, the total mass of each team is 612 kg (9 members x 68 kg/member).
The magnitude of the acceleration can be determined using the net force and the total mass of the teams. Once the acceleration is known, the tension in the rope can be calculated by multiplying the magnitude of the acceleration by the total mass of the teams.