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Assignment #1: Hand-In Problem - : Solution

The document provides the solution to a physics problem involving three forces acting on an object. Force 1 is 21 N to the left and Force 2 is 15 N along the y-axis. To find the magnitude and direction of Force 3 such that the net force is zero, the x and y components of the three forces are set equal to each other. This results in two equations that are solved to find the x and y components of Force 3, which are -4.5 N and -18.2 N, respectively. Using the Pythagorean theorem, the magnitude of Force 3 is calculated to be 18.7 N at an angle of 76 degrees from the negative x-axis.

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Vijay Fauzilah
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23 views

Assignment #1: Hand-In Problem - : Solution

The document provides the solution to a physics problem involving three forces acting on an object. Force 1 is 21 N to the left and Force 2 is 15 N along the y-axis. To find the magnitude and direction of Force 3 such that the net force is zero, the x and y components of the three forces are set equal to each other. This results in two equations that are solved to find the x and y components of Force 3, which are -4.5 N and -18.2 N, respectively. Using the Pythagorean theorem, the magnitude of Force 3 is calculated to be 18.7 N at an angle of 76 degrees from the negative x-axis.

Uploaded by

Vijay Fauzilah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment #1: Hand-In Problem - SOLUTION

Chapter 1, Problem #66 (text book numbers)

Three forces act on an object, as indicated in the drawing. Force has a magnitude of 21.0
newtons (21.0 N) and is directed to the left of the axis. Force has a magnitude of
15.0 N and points along the axis. What must be the magnitude and direction (specified by the
angle in the drawing) of the third force such that the vector sum of the three forces is 0 N?
66. REASONING We are given that the vector sum of the three forces is zero, so F1 + F2 + F3
= 0 N. Since F1 and F2 are known, F3 can be found from the relation F3 = −(F1 + F2). We
will use the x- and y-components of this equation to find the magnitude and direction of F3.

SOLUTION The x- and y-components of the equation F3 = −( F1 + F2) are:

x-component F3 x = − ( F1x + F2 x ) (1)

y-component (
F3 y = − F1 y + F2 y ) (2)

The table below gives the x- and y-components of F1 and F2:

Vector x component y component


F1 F1x = −(21.0 N) sin 30.0° = −10.5 N F1y = −(21.0 N) cos 30.0° = +18.2 N
F2 F2x = +15.0 N F2y = 0 N

Substituting the values for F1x and F2x into Equation (1) gives

F3 x = − ( F1x + F2 x ) = − ( −10.5 N + 15.2 N ) = −4.5 N

Substituting F1y and F2y into Equation (2) gives

( )
F3 y = − F1 y + F2 y = − ( +18.2 N + 0 N ) = −18.2 N

The magnitude of F3 can now be obtained by employing the Pythagorean theorem:

F3 = F32x + F32y = ( −4.5 N )2 + ( −18.2 N )2 = 18.7 N

The angle θ that F3 makes with respect to the −x axis can be determined from the inverse
tangent function (Equation 1.6),

 F3 y  −1  −18.2 N 
θ = tan −1   = tan   = 76°
 F3 x   −4.5 N 

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