Question

Two masses connected in series with two massless strings are hanging from a support as shown in the figure. Find the tension in the upper string

• A. $m_1 g$
• B. $(m_1 - m_2)g$
• C. $m_2 g$
• D. $(m_1 + m_2)g$
• E. $(m_1 \times m_2)g$

Hint:

To quickly find tension in a supported vertical line segment, mentally cut the line at that point and identify all the masses that would fall down . The tension force must be equal to the total weight of everything below that point. For the top string, both $m_1$ and $m_2$ are supported, so the tension is total mass ($m_1+m_2$) times $g$.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D