Randall D. Knight — Dynamics I: Motion Along a Line: Problem 40

An accident victim with a broken leg is being placed in traction. The patient wears a special boot with a pulley attached to the sole. The foot and boot together have a mass of 4.0 kg, and the doctor has decided to hang a 6.0 kg mass from the rope. The boot is held suspended by the ropes, as shown in FIGURE P6.40, and does not touch the bed. a. Determine the amount of tension in the rope by using Newton’s laws to analyze the hanging mass. Hint: If the pulleys are frictionless, which we will assume, the tension in the rope is constant from one end to the other. b. The net traction force needs to pull straight out on the leg. What is the proper angle \(\theta\) for the upper rope? c. What is the net traction force pulling on the leg?