Question

A boy pulls his toy on a smooth horizontal surface with a rope inclined at 60 degrees to the horizontal. If the effective force pulling the toy along the horizontal surface is 5N, calculate the tension in the rope

Answer 1

Hello there.

The effective force is the horizontal component of tension T. The tension, by similar triangles, has as adjacent side that is the effective force. Hence, we conclude:

`Tcos(60^\circ) = F_(effective)\\\\ T\cdot\frac12 = 5\\ \\ \\ \boxed{T = 10\ N}`