In constructing a large mobile, an artist hangs an aluminium sphere of mass 6kg from a vertical steel wire 0.50m long. On the bottom of the sphere he attaches a similar steel wire, from which hae hangs a brass cube of mass 10kg. How would i calculate the tension in each wire?
The length of the wire is inconsequential unless you're calculating stretch. The tensile force in the upper wire is simply: Fu = 6 + 10 = 16 kg The tensile force in the lower wire is simply: Fl = 10 kg If you want tensile stress, then you need the wire's cross-sectional area.
