Question

A boy weighing 445 N swings on a 2-m long swing. If his horizontal speed at the lowest point is 3 m/s, what total force must the ropes holding the swing be able to withstand?

Answer 1

Explanation:

We need to calculate the centripetal force:

Fc = W + F

With Fc being the centripetal force, W the weight of the boy, F the centrifugal force (apparent).

We know that we can calculate the apparent centrifugal force thank to the formula:

F = (m·v²)/r = 204N

So we can write:

Fc = W + F = 445N + 204N = 649N