My question is regarding Passage VI, question 41 on p. 111 of Physics I (TBR).
The tug of war game now shifts to sloping ground, with one team up higher than the other. Which of the statements is true?
A. The team on the low side has an advantage
B. The team on the high side has the advantage.
C. The team on the high side has an advantage, provided the hill is sufficiently steep.
D. Neither team has an advantage.
"A is the best answer. The team on the high side now has to fight the pull of gravity, so this works as an advantage for the team on the low side."
I don't fully understand the explanation. The way I think about it is, the team on the low side has an advantage because the weight parallel to the x-axis "pulls" the rope towards them. In addition, the weight of the high team also "pulls" the rope towards the low side.
Thinking about it another way, the high side has the disadvantage because, in addition to the frictional forces, they must pull up a portion of their weight. Also, the high team must also pull up a portion of the weight of the low team.
Am I thinking about this correctly?
Finally, I am having trouble drawing the force diagram for both teams when they are on LEVEL ground. I remember reading in EK (or physics textbook) that the frictional forces are not necessarily in the direction opposite of motion... so how do I draw the diagram??
The tug of war game now shifts to sloping ground, with one team up higher than the other. Which of the statements is true?
A. The team on the low side has an advantage
B. The team on the high side has the advantage.
C. The team on the high side has an advantage, provided the hill is sufficiently steep.
D. Neither team has an advantage.
"A is the best answer. The team on the high side now has to fight the pull of gravity, so this works as an advantage for the team on the low side."
I don't fully understand the explanation. The way I think about it is, the team on the low side has an advantage because the weight parallel to the x-axis "pulls" the rope towards them. In addition, the weight of the high team also "pulls" the rope towards the low side.
Thinking about it another way, the high side has the disadvantage because, in addition to the frictional forces, they must pull up a portion of their weight. Also, the high team must also pull up a portion of the weight of the low team.
Am I thinking about this correctly?
Finally, I am having trouble drawing the force diagram for both teams when they are on LEVEL ground. I remember reading in EK (or physics textbook) that the frictional forces are not necessarily in the direction opposite of motion... so how do I draw the diagram??
