Physics and Newton laws

Question

If an orangutan weighing 500 N hangs from a vertical rope what is the tension in the rope if the orangutan is pulled upward with an acceleration of . 5 m/s

Answer 1

The acceleration is the result of the "net force" acting on the object.....use the equation F = m*a to relate the parameters.

We are given a weight for the animal---this is the force of gravity. Again, we use F = m*a. The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/sec^2, so the mass of the animal is 500N / 9.8m/sec^2 = 500/9.8 kg.

Knowing the mass and the acceleration, we can now find the net force: F = m*a = 500/9.8 *0.5 = 250/9.8 Newtons.

The net force is the difference between the animal's weight (force of gravity) and the tension in the rope:

NF = T - W

So T = NF + W = 250/9.8 + 500 = 526 Newtons