What is the net force acting on the block?

Question

A 10 kg block experiences two external forces acting on it simultaneously. Force A has a magnitude of 29 N and points in the positive direction. Force B has a magnitude of 20 N and points in the negative direction.

Answer 1

This question is vague. Since there is no mention of the nature and inclination of, or even the presence of, a surface, the weight would be an external force and should be taken into account (all objects have weight). For that, the specific directions of the positive and negative forces will become relevant.

If a net force is to be determined based on the positive and negative forces ONLY, then a simple subtraction is sufficient 29N - 20N = 9N in the positive direction.

Mr. A