Tension (physics)

Tension is the pulling force transmitted through a taut connector such as a string, rope, or cable. It acts along the connector and pulls on the objects attached to its ends.

Newton's laws of motion: Three laws describing how forces affect the motion of bodies. Tension is one of the forces whose net effect determines an object's acceleration.
Force: An interaction that can change an object's motion or deform it. Tension is a particular force transmitted by a taut connector.
Cable-stayed bridge: A bridge whose deck is supported directly by cables connected to towers. Its stay cables transmit tension from the deck into the towers.
Compression (mechanics): A loading condition in which forces push inward on a body or structural member. A taut connector carries tension, whereas a strut can support compression.
Free-body diagram: A diagram showing the external forces acting on an isolated object. It represents tension as an arrow along the connector, acting on each attached body.
Vector (physics): A quantity with both magnitude and direction. A tension force has a magnitude and points along the connector.
Suspension bridge: A bridge whose deck hangs from vertical suspenders attached to main cables. The main cables and suspenders carry loads through tensile forces.
Shear force: A force component parallel to a surface or cross-section that tends to make layers slide. Shear acts tangentially across a section, unlike tension along a connector.
Ideal string: A massless, inextensible string model used in mechanics. This model gives the same tension magnitude throughout a string in standard idealized problems.
Equilibrium mechanics: The study of bodies with zero net force and zero net torque. A stationary taut connector can transmit tension while its attached bodies remain in equilibrium.

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