What is the net force on a mass....

Question

What is the net force on a mass if the force of 100 N at 53o AND a force of 120 N at 135o act on it at the same time?

Answer 1

We break down the forces into the x and y-components, assuming the angles are in respect to the horizontal.

 

For the 100N force:

 

F_1X = 100cos53 = 60.18 N

F_2y = 100sin53 = 79.86 N

 

 

For the 120N force:

 

F_2x = 120cos135 = -84.85 N

F_2y = 120sin135 = 84.85 N

 

 

Next, combine the x and y components of the forces that we found to get the resultant force of the components.

 

R_x = F_1x + F_2x

R_y = F_1y + F_2y

 

 

Then apply the Pythagorean theorem to get the netforce.

 

F_net = √(R_x² + R_y²)