Question

A black widow spider hangs motionless from a web that extends vertically from the ceiling above. If the spider has a mass of 1.81 g, what is the tension in the web?

N=

Answer 1

The tension in the web is 0.017738 N

Step-by-step explanation:

Net Force

The net force exerted on an object is the sum of the vectors of each individual force applied to an object.

If the net force equals 0, then the object is at rest or moving at a constant speed.

The spider described in the question is hanging at rest. It means the sum of the forces it's receiving is 0.

A hanging object has only two forces: The tension of the supporting string (in our case, the web) and its weight. If the object is in equilibrium, the tension is numerically equal to the weight:

T=W=m.g

The mass of the spider is m=1.81 gr = 0.00181 Kg, thus the tension is:

`T = 0.00181\ Kg\cdot 9.8\ m/s^2`

`T=0.017738\ N`

The tension in the web is 0.017738 N