Question

A uniform spool is suspended from a vertical wall by a string attached to the spool’s thin axle. The axle is horizontal, as shown above. The wall is smooth, so it exerts no frictional force on the spool. The tension in the string is 2.6 N. What is the weight of the spool?

Answer 1

The weight of the spool is equal to the tension in the string, which is 2.6 N, because they are the only forces acting on the spool in the vertical direction and the system is in equilibrium.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the weight of the spool, we can use the fact that the tension in the string provides an upward force that balances the weight of the spool when it is in equilibrium. Since there is no acceleration, the net force must be zero, which means the tension in the string equals the weight of the spool.

Given the tension in the string is 2.6 N, and considering that this tension is the only vertical force acting on the spool, we can conclude that the weight of the spool is also 2.6 N.

The weight of an object is the gravitational force exerted on the object's mass (W = m*g), where W is the weight, m is the mass, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2). Since tension and weight are equal and opposite forces here, the tension provided directly gives us the weight in this scenario of equilibrium.

Answer 2

The weight of the spool is equal to the tension in the string, which is 2.6 N, because they are in a state of equilibrium with no other vertical forces acting.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the weight of the spool, we need to understand that the tension in the string supporting the spool provides an upward force that balances the weight of the spool, which is a downward force. As the wall exerts no frictional force and assuming there are no other forces acting vertically on the spool, the tension in the string must be equal to the weight of the spool due to the state of equilibrium. Therefore, if the tension in the string is 2.6 N, the weight of the spool is also 2.6 N. This is because in equilibrium, the upward forces equal the downward forces, so tension equals weight in this scenario.