A traffic light of mass 20 kg is hung at the midpoint of a light cable stretched…
PHYSICS · Subjective · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A traffic light of mass 20 kg is hung at the midpoint of a light cable stretched between two poles of equal height. The cable on either side of the traffic light makes an angle of 45° with the horizontal.
(a) Draw the free-body diagram for the traffic light.
(b) Calculate the tension in each half of the cable.
(c) If the angle made by each half of the cable with the horizontal is reduced to 30° while all other conditions remain unchanged, calculate the new tension and comment briefly on how and why the tension changes with the angle.