Make a free body diagram of the scenario “A ball is hanging from a long string that is tied to the ceiling of a train car traveling eastward on horizontal tracks.“
Answer (1)
1. Weight of the Ball: The force due to gravity pulls the ball downward. This force is represented by an arrow pointing straight down from the ball. It is calculated as the mass of the ball multiplied by the acceleration due to gravity (W = m * g).2. Tension in the String: The string exerts an upward force on the ball, which counteracts the weight of the ball. This tension force is represented by an arrow pointing upward along the string from the ball to the ceiling of the train car. The tension balances the weight of the ball when it is at rest.3. Inertia Effect: When the train accelerates eastward, the ball will appear to lean backward (to the west) due to inertia. This effect occurs because objects at rest tend to stay at rest, and the ball wants to remain in its initial position while the train moves forward. This is not a force acting on the ball but rather a result of the ball's inertia.Summary:In the free body diagram:The downward arrow represents the weight of the ball (W).The upward arrow represents the tension in the string (T).A horizontal effect (leaning backward) represents the inertia due to the train's eastward motion.These forces together help us understand the ball's behavior as the train moves, illustrating the concepts of gravity, tension, and inertia.
