Question

a) 2 forces of magnitude 10N act on an object . state and explain the maximum resultant force and minimum resultant force that can be obtained with these 2 forces.
b)show how would you apply these two forces to get a resultant of 10N

Answer 1

a) 2 forces of magnitude 10N act on an object. state and explain the maximum resultant force and minimum resultant force that can be obtained with these 2 forces.

b) show how would you apply these two forces to get a resultant of 10N

Solution:

$$\left| \vec {F} _ {1} \right| = \left| \vec {F} _ {2} \right| = 1 0 N$$

a) Maximum resultant force when forces are directed in one way:

$$F _ {\max } = F _ {1} + F _ {1} = 1 0 N + 1 0 N = 2 0 N$$

Minimum resultant force when forces are directed in opposite ways (forces compensate one another):

$$F _ {\min } = F _ {1} + F _ {1} = 1 0 N - 1 0 N = 0$$

b) If the resultant force is 10N, it means that $\vec{F}_1, \vec{F}_1$ and $\vec{F}$ form an equilateral triangle (because $F_1 = F_1 = F = 10N$ ). It means that the angle between the forces $F_1$ and $F_1$ is $\alpha = 120{}^\circ$ .