Enter the force being applied to an object and the angle of that force to calculate the total tension. This tension calculator uses Newtons of Force and degrees for the angle. This calculator can also determine the applied force or angle given the other variables.

Tension Formula

The following formula is used to calculate tension. 

T = F * sin(X)
  • Where x is the angle between the force applied and the direction of tension.
  • T is the tension
  • F is the force applied

To calculate tension, multiply the force by the sine of the angle of the applied force.

Tension Definition

Tension is defined as the force applied to an object through a pulling motion.

How to calculate tension

The following example is a step-by-step guide on how to calculate the tension force being applied to an object. For this problem, we are going to assume that someone is pulling a rope that is attached to a rock and we want to find out how much of the force is being applied in the x-direction. This can be depicted below.

First, we must determine the angle at which the rope is being pulled at. This is a crucial step in the process. An accurate measure of the angle of force will provide an accurate measure of the force in the x-direction. For this example, we will say that we measure the angle and found it to be 15 degrees.

Next, we need to calculate or measure the total force being applied to the rock. This can be done in one of several ways. If this rock was in space and the earth’s gravity was acting on it, we could calculate the force by measuring the rock’s acceleration and weight. We will say we have a gauge attached at the end of the rope to measure the force for this problem. We find that the total force is 15 Newtons.

Now, we need to enter all of the information into the calculator above. Tension = Total Force * sin(x) = 15 * sin(15) = 9.75 newtons in the x direction.

The last step is to analyze the results for accuracy and apply them to a future problem.

FAQ

What is tension?

Tension is defined as the force applied to an object through a pulling motion.

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