Question

1. 4 people are playing tug of war (2 against 2). the left team has a person that pulls with a force of 10 n and another that pulls with a force of 8n. the right team has a person that pulls with a force of 5n and another person with an unknown force. if there was a tie how much force did the unknown person pull with? 10 n 5 n 9 n 13 n

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate total force of left - team

Since the left - team has two people pulling, and force is additive when in the same direction. The total force of the left - team \(F_{left}=10 + 8=18\space N\)

Step2: Set up equation for right - team

Let the unknown force of the right - team be \(x\). The total force of the right - team \(F_{right}=5 + x\). In a tie, \(F_{left}=F_{right}\), so \(18=5 + x\)

Step3: Solve for \(x\)

Subtract \(5\) from both sides of the equation \(x = 18-5\)

Answer:

\(13\space N\)