Question

A body of weight 200 N is suspended from a tree branch through a chain of mass 10 kg. The branch pulls the chain by a force equal to (if $g = 10 \, \text{m/s}^2$):

• A. 150 N
• B. 300 N
• C. 200 N
• D. 100 N

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

300 N

Answer 2

The total weight acting on the chain is the sum of the weight of the body and the weight of the chain itself.
1. Weight of the body: $200 \, \text{N}$
2. Weight of the chain: $10 \times 10 = 100 \, \text{N}$
Thus, the total weight is:
$\text{Total weight} = 200 + 100 = 300 \, \text{N}$
Since the chain-block system is in equilibrium, the tension $T$ in the chain must balance the total weight:
$T = 300 \, \text{N}$