Question

A movie stunt performer is filming a scene where he swings across a river on a vine. The safety crew must use a vine with enough strength so that it doesn't break while swinging. The stunt performer's mass is 80.0 kg, the vine is 12.0 m long, and the speed of the stunt performer at the bottom of the swing has been determined to be 8.60 m/s. What is the minimum tension force (in N) the vine must be able to support without breaking?

N

Answer 1

Gravitational acceleration = g = 9.81 m/s²

Mass of the stunt performer = m = 80 kg

Length of the vine = L = 12 m

Speed of the stunt performer at the bottom of the swing = V = 8.6 m/s

Tension in the vine = T

Centripetal force on the stunt performer = F_c

The centripetal force is the net force on the stunt performer from the tension (upwards) and the his own weight (downwards).

T = 1.28 x 10³ N

Minimum tension force the cine must be able to support without breaking = 1.28 x 10³ N