A2L Item 049
- Description: Identify the forces on a hanging monkey.
- Goal: Recognize the presence of a force.
- Source: UMPERG
- Keywords: Forces, Interactions, Mechanics
The question for students:
A monkey hangs on a rope. What forces act on the monkey? (Ignore forces due to the air.)
- Friction, Gravitation
- Tension, Gravitation
- Friction, Tension, Gravitation
- Normal, Friction, Gravitation
- More than one answer is true
- None of the above
- Cannot be determined
Commentary for teachers:
Answer
(1); Assuming the monkey hangs from a vertical rope the only forces can be gravity and friction. Students should realize that there is only one action-at-a-distance force in this case, that of gravity, and that there must be some contact force(s) to balance that.