In: Physics
Consider a tug of war between two teams. Why is it impossible for either team to pull harder on the rope than the other? If pulling on the rope harder than the opponent is impossible, why is it possible for a team to still win?
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It is impossible for either team to pull harder on the rope than the other because the tension force at any point of the rope will be same.When a team pulls the rope, the rope pulls the team. This was Newton's third law. When both teams pull in opposite directions, they often don't exert equal forces; the stronger team exerts a larger force. So the two forces don't balance each other and the rope accelerates towards the stronger team. The weaker team experiences a net force pulling them. This force is the sum of (i)The reaction by the rope and (ii) The friction force between the rope and the team members' hands. Both the teams are held at their place by the friction between the ground and their feet. If the pulling force as mentioned above exceeds this friction, the losing team experiences a net force and accelerates, i.e. falls down.