Re: How to compare tensile strengths of fishing line?

The easiest way to determine when a string (or chain, etc) will break is to hang known masses by it, and keep loading the masses until the string breaks.

Here are some questions you ought to consider when designing your experiment:
1) Will the string break at different forces depending on how much time elapses before the next mass is added?
2) If you repeat the experiment many times, how similar are the breaking forces each time?

John Link, MadSci Physicist