The iron cross
Gymnasts can do all sorts of ridiculous tricks on various equipment. In the rings event, the gymnast is supported by two rings attached by cords to the ceiling.
If a gymnast has a mass of 75 kg and is motionless on the rings, what is the tension in each cord?
Details and assumptions
- The acceleration of gravity is .
- You may assume the cords are perfectly vertical.
The answer is 367.5.
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1 solution
The net force up on the gymnast must counteract the force of gravity. Therefore twice the tension in each cord is equal to 9 . 8 × 7 5 = 7 3 5 N , which leads to a tension of 367.5 N.