Question

According to Newton's third law, each team pulls the opposite team with equal force in a tug of war. Then, why does one team win and the other lose?

Answer 1

Answer :

Here,resultant of all forces should be considered rather than the tension in the rope exerted by both the teams

Explanation :

Firstly,the forces acting on the are :

• Tension in the rope due to pull and push of the teams

• Weight

• Friction along the rope

• Friction against the movement of people tugging the rope

Now,it should be understood that not always the friction and weight would be balanced

Assuming that the horizontal forces on rope are equal and weight is not considered as it acts in the vertical frame

This leaves us with friction on ground which is variable,thus the team with more friction tends to win

Answer 2

One team win and the other loses because the net force that works for each team from every source is not equal.

Explanation:

According to Newton's third law :    

• The forces on the rope must be the same and opposite. But all the forces working in each team are not the same.
• Factors such as the friction between the field and the team do not depend on the other team and can be more on the one hand.
• In addition, the handles on the rope are not necessarily identical.
• The net force that works for each team from every source is not the same. Hence, one team wins and the other loses.