A crane suspends a 500-lb steel beam horizontally by support cables (with negligible weight) attached from a hook to each end of the beam. The support cables each make an angle of 60° with the beam. Find the tension vector in each support cable and the magnitude of each tension.

3 answers

the magnitude of the vertical component is 250-lb

tension = 250-lb / sin(60º)
How does you get 250-lb?
the beam weighs 500-lb

it is symmetrically supported by a cable at each end ... 250-lb per end