Chapter 2, Problem 3A

What name is given to the stretching force that occurs in a spring or rope being pulled?

To determine

To define: The stretching force that occurrs in a spring or rope being pulled

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

When a rope or spring whose one end is tied to a point and the other end is hanging freely, it experiences only gravitational force. But when the free end of rope is pulled down using a weight, it experiences a stretching force other than the gravity.

The force that occurs in a rope or spring when it is pulled down is called as “tension”. (denoted as T) as shown in Figure 1.

When the object used to pull the spring or rope is having negligible weight, the tension is also very small. But as the pull on the spring is increased, the tension can also increase and it might result in rope being broken. So, it is crucial to be aware of the maximum value of tension that a rope can bear.

  

Under equilibrium, the total forces acting on the rope is zero which implies the tension force in the rope equals the weight of the object.