The length of a wire becomes and when and tensions are applied respectively. If , the natural length of the wire will be . Here the value of is _____ .
- A
- B
- C
- D
The length of a wire becomes and when and tensions are applied respectively. If , the natural length of the wire will be . Here the value of is _____ .
Correct answer:A
Standard Method
Given: The wire has lengths and under tensions and respectively, and where is the natural length.
Find: The value of if the natural length is .
Using Hooke's law, the extension is proportional to the applied force:
For tension ,
Given ,
So,
Now the natural length is written as . Since ,
Hence,
the solution concludes with "Therefore, ", but that conclusion does not follow from the shown working. The defensible result from the given question statement is , and none of the listed options matches this value.
Checking the inconsistency
From the second tension, the extracted solution writes:
Using ,
so
and therefore
This only gives the relation between and . It does not determine from because that relation is already fixed by .
Thus,
which means the required form is with .
Therefore, the extracted option list is inconsistent with the algebra shown, and no option exactly matches the correct value.
Using both tension equations to compute and then incorrectly inferring from . The quantity asked is the natural length in terms of , so the direct relation must be used instead.
Treating as an extension relation. It is a total-length relation, so the natural length is , not .
Assuming the final line of the solution must be correct even when it contradicts the displayed algebra. Always verify whether the conclusion follows from the equations shown.
Get unlimited AI-adaptive practice, mastery tracking, and an AI tutor that explains every step — free to start.