A clothesline is under tension when you hang from it. Why is the tension greater when the clothesline is strung horizontally than when it hangs vertically?
2007-12-02 12:44:34 · 1 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Because the clothes that hangs down must have a force pointing directly up in order to balance its weight. When the clothes line is vertical the weight of the clothes will be supported by the tenision, which has a direction of force completly pointing up. when you start to make the line horizontal the amount of force pointing up (from the tension in the rope) decreases. It decrease because some of the force pointing up went into getting the line to point horizontal, now you will have two direction that the tension points (horizontal and vertical components of the tension which ad up to a diagnol direction ). In order to get the nessasary force pointing up again you can either get the rope vertical again or increase the tension in the rope so that both the vertical and horizontal tension becomes greater.
In the extreme case image the rope is completely horizontal. This means that all of force from tension is pointing horizonatally and there is no vertical force pulling the clothes up. That is why that will never happen in reality. The clothes must have at least some vertical force fromt the clothes line in order to hold it up. Hope that helped
2007-12-05 10:21:43 · answer #1 · answered by Brian 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋