Jimmy has caught two fish in Yellow Creek. He has tied the line holding the 4.30 kg steelhead trout to the tail of the 1.39 kg carp. To show the fish to a friend, he lifts upward on the carp with a force of 87.7 N. What is the tension of the rope connecting the steel trout and carp?

87.7 N is the weight of the two fishes together. M(steelhead)*g = 4.3 kg x 9.8 m/s^2 = 42.1 N is the weight of the steelhead by itself.

and since the tension supports the steelhead would u subrtract the weight of the carp from 87.7N???

No.

The tension balances the weight of the steelhead only.

o...ok

but the answer 42.1N was wrong :S

To find the tension of the rope connecting the steelhead trout and carp, you would need to subtract the weight of the carp from the total force applied.

The weight of the carp can be calculated by multiplying its mass (1.39 kg) by the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2):

Weight of carp = mass of carp x acceleration due to gravity
= 1.39 kg x 9.8 m/s^2
= 13.622 N

Since the tension supports the steelhead trout, you would subtract the weight of the carp from the force applied (87.7 N) to get the tension in the rope:

Tension = Force applied - Weight of carp
= 87.7 N - 13.622 N
= 74.078 N

Therefore, the tension in the rope connecting the steelhead trout and carp is approximately 74.078 N.