PRESENTATION ON

TENSION
EXAMPLES AND EXPLANATION PROVIDED
TENSION
 In physics, tension may describe
the pulling force transmitted axially by
means of a string, cable, chain, or
similar one-dimensional continuous
object, or by each end of a
DEFINITION rod, truss member, or similar three-
dimensional object. Tension could be
the opposite of compression.
 TUG OF WAR

EXAMPLES
SLED BEING PULLED AT AN ANGLE
 PHYSICAL
ILLUSTRATIO
N
 TENSION
FORCES IN
ACTION
 T = mg + ma
Where
T indicates tension
Unit: N
m indicates mass
FORMULA Unit: kg
g indicates gravitational force Unit:
9.8 m/s2
A indicates acceleration
Unit: m/s2
 SETUPS
PERTAINING
TO TENSION
VERTICAL
SETUP

FORMULA:
ΣFy  m  a
HORIZONTA
L

FORMULA:
ΣFx  m  a
 FORMULA:
ATWOOD’S
MACHINE
BOSUN’S
CHAIR
 EVEN ANGLE UNEVEN ANGLE

ANGULAR

FORMULA AND
EXAMPLE:
PROBLEM
SOLVING:
PROBLEM
SOLVING:
 A block of mass 5 Kg is suspended by a
string to a ceiling and is at rest.
Find the force Fc exerted by the ceiling on
the string. Assume the mass of the string to
be negligible.

PROBLEM
SOLVING:
 Solution: 
a) 
The free body diagram below shows the weight W and the
tension T1 acting on the block.
Tension T2 acting on the ceiling and Fc the reaction to T2.

PROBLEM
SOLVING:
 Hence action reaction (Newton's 3 rd law) : |Fc| = |T2| 
We now consider the forces acting on the block (Free Body Diagram) 

Since the block is at rest W + T1 = 0 (Newton’s Second Law, vector

equation) 
     W = (0 , -|W|) 
     T1 = (0, |T1|) 
Hence : (0 , -|W|) + (0, |T1|) = 0 
PROBLEM      sum of y coordinates = 0 gives |W| = |T1| 

SOLVING: T1 and T2 represent the tension of the string and their magnitudes are
equal. Hence 
    |T2| = |T1| 

T2 and Fc are action and reaction pairs and therefore their magnitudes
are equal. Hence 
    |Fc| = |T2| = |T1| = |W| = m g = 5×10 = 50 N
 In the figure below is shown the system below are shown
two blocks linked by a string through a pulley, where the
block of mass m1 slides on the frictionless table.
We assume that the string is massless and the pulley is
massless and frictionless.

PROBLEM
SOLVING:

a) Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the two

masses 
b) Find the tension in the string
 Solution:

PROBLEM
SOLVING:
 1) free body diagram of block m1 
Newton’s Second Law, assuming m1 accelerating from
left to right and |a| is the magnitude of the acceleration. 

     W1 + T1 + N = (m1 |a| , 0) 

with 
     W1 = (0 , - |W1|) = (0 , -m1 g) 
PROBLEM      N = (0 , |N|) 
SOLVING:      T1 = (|T1| , 0) 

above equation in components form: (0 , -m1 g) + (0 , |N|)

+ (|T1| , 0) = (m1 |a| , 0) 

x components equation 
     0 + 0 + |T1| = m1 |a| 
 2) free body diagram of block m2 
Newton's second law, assuming m2 accelerating downward and |a| is
the magnitude of the acceleration 
     W2 + T2 = (0 , -m2 |a|) 
     W2 = (0 , - |W2|) = (0 , - m2 g) 
     T2 = (0 , |T2|) 
     (0 , - m2 g) + (0 , |T2|) = (0 , -m2 a) 
y components equation 
     - m2 g + |T2| = - m2 |a| 
PROBLEM
SOLVING: Note: |T1| = |T2| tension in the string is the same 
Combining the equations |T1| = m1 |a|, |T1| = |T2| and -m2 g + |T2| = -
m2 |a| found above, we can write 
     - m2 g + m1 |a| = - m2 |a| 

Solve for |a| 

     |a| = m2 g / (m1 + m2) 

b.)
Use |T | = m  |a| and |a| = m  g / (m1 + m ) to obtain 
 http://www.problemsphysics.com/forces/string_t
ension_problems.html

http://casswww.ucsd.edu/archive/physics/ph11/h
w/HW4.pdf
REFERENCES: https://images.google.com/

www.pa.msu.edu/~schmidt/PHY231s08/Lecture
5.ppt