A mass is attached to a thin wire and whirled in a vertical circle. The wire is most likely to break when:
- Athe mass is at the highest point
- Bthe wire is horizontal
- Cthe mass is at the lowest point
- Dinclined at an angle of from vertical
Solution & Step-by-step Explanation
In a vertical circular motion, the tension () in the wire at any point is given by:
where is the angle made with the downward vertical.At the lowest point (): .At the highest point (): .Since the tension is maximum at the lowest point, the wire is most likely to break there.
where is the angle made with the downward vertical.At the lowest point (): .At the highest point (): .Since the tension is maximum at the lowest point, the wire is most likely to break there.