A bell hangs from a blue rope.A red rope attached to the side of the bell is pulled in the horizontal direction.This causes the blue rope to make an angle less than 90º with the vertical.Which of the following statements is true?
A)The red rope is under greater tension than the blue rope.
B)The red rope is under the same tension as the blue rope.
C)The blue rope is under greater tension than the red rope.
D)The tensions cannot be compared unless the mass of the bell is known.
E)The tensions cannot be compared unless the angle that the blue rope makes with the vertical is known.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The tension in the blue rope is greater than the tension in the red rope. This is because the blue rope is supporting the weight of the bell in addition to the tension due to the horizontal force applied by the red rope. The angle less than 90º indicates that the tension in the blue rope has a vertical component, which means more force is needed from the blue rope to keep the bell from falling.

A Bell Hangs from a Blue Rope