A boy of weight W hangs from the center of a clothesline and

A boy of weight, W, hangs from the center of a clothesline and distorts the line so that it makes 30 degrees angles with the horizontal at each end.

Solution

i am assuming the clothesline is shaped like a triangle. you divide the triangle in half with a line thru it and now you have 2 right triangles ( 30-60-90). there are two hypotenuses and their tension is found by W/sin30deg. Since there are two hypotenuses, it should be 2 times W/sin30deg; since the tension it supported by the two sides of the clothesline.