Question

tuesday 12/17

1. in the illustration, a brick is tied to the end of a rope. (5.5b, 5.7a)

a. the force of gravity is too strong for the brick to move.
b. both the force of gravity and the rope pull the brick upward.
c. the force of gravity is gone because the brick is held up by the rope.
d. the force of gravity is gone because the brick is balanced by the upward pull of
the rope.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option A: Gravity acts downward, but the rope's tension (upward force) balances it, allowing the brick to be stationary (not that gravity is too strong to move, but forces balance). However, among the options, this is the most reasonable as others are incorrect.
• Option B: Gravity pulls downward, rope pulls upward – they don't both pull upward.
• Option C: Gravity always acts on objects with mass (like the brick) – it doesn't "go away" because the rope holds it.
• Option D: Same as C – gravity isn't gone, just balanced by the rope's tension.

So the best answer is A as the other options have clear errors about the direction of gravity or the existence of gravity.

Answer:

A. The force of gravity is too strong for the brick to move.