PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
During a tug-of-war on the school sports day, two teams pull a rope along a straight line. The rope is considered uniform and its mass may be neglected for the purpose of calculation.
(i) Team A exerts three horizontal pulls of 200 N, 180 N and 220 N, all towards the east. Team B exerts three horizontal pulls of 190 N, 205 N and 210 N, all towards the west. Find the magnitude and direction of the net force acting on the rope.
(ii) State which team is winning the contest and justify your answer.
(iii) If the centre of the rope has an effective mass of 10 kg (due to the players’ combined grip) and all forces remain constant, calculate the acceleration of the centre of the rope.
(iv) How far and in which direction will the centre of the rope move in 5 s if it was initially at rest?