Finding magnitude and direction of resultant force

In summary, the conversation discusses finding the magnitude and direction of the resultant force exerted on a rocket by two engines. One engine produces a thrust of 725 N directly forward, while the other gives a 513-N thrust at 32.4° above the forward direction. The suggested approach is to break up the forces into components and use the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate the resultant force. However, the original poster is still struggling with the problem and is unsure of which formula to use.
  • #1
azn4lyf89
17
0

Homework Statement


A rocket fires two engines simultaneously. One produces a thrust of 725 N directly forward, while the other gives a 513-N thrust at 32.4° above the forward direction. Find the magnitude and direction (relative to the forward direction) of the resultant force that these engines exert on the rocket.



The Attempt at a Solution


I tried finding the magnitude by doing 725+513(cos(32.4°)) and got 1158 N but for the answer it says its 1190 N. Did I do something wrong or is the book wrong? And I am not sure how to find the direction after I get the magnitude.
 
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  • #2
Hi Azn4ly, Well the way I would approch this is break everything up into components, and then add the componets of the vectors together and apply pythags therom. So think about it, break the 725 focre into components and then the 513 force into components. Try using that method :-)
 
  • #3
azn4lyf89 said:

Homework Statement


A rocket fires two engines simultaneously. One produces a thrust of 725 N directly forward, while the other gives a 513-N thrust at 32.4° above the forward direction. Find the magnitude and direction (relative to the forward direction) of the resultant force that these engines exert on the rocket.

The Attempt at a Solution


I tried finding the magnitude by doing 725+513(cos(32.4°)) and got 1158 N but for the answer it says its 1190 N. Did I do something wrong or is the book wrong? And I am not sure how to find the direction after I get the magnitude.

You only calculated the X component of velocity. You need to factor the Y component in as Galadirith suggested by adding its value through the square root of the squares of the components.
 
  • #4
I am still having problems with this problem. What formula would I use?
 
  • #5
susangal04 said:
I am still having problems with this problem. What formula would I use?

Pythagorean Theorem.

RSS - The Root Sum of the Squares.

The x and y components are at right angles and hence for the sides of a right triangle.
The relationship of the sides to the hippopotamus is
a2 + b2 = c2
 
  • #6
hope this helps
 

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1. What is the formula for finding the magnitude of the resultant force?

The magnitude of the resultant force can be found using the Pythagorean theorem, where the square of the magnitude of the resultant force is equal to the sum of the squares of the magnitudes of the individual forces.

2. How do you find the direction of the resultant force?

The direction of the resultant force can be found using trigonometric functions, specifically the tangent function. The angle of the resultant force can be calculated by taking the inverse tangent of the ratio of the vertical and horizontal components of the resultant force.

3. What information is needed to find the resultant force?

To find the resultant force, you will need the magnitudes and directions of all the individual forces acting on an object. This information can be represented using vectors, which show the magnitude and direction of a force.

4. How do you determine the direction of the resultant force if the individual forces are not in the same plane?

If the individual forces are not in the same plane, you will need to use vector addition to find the resultant force. This involves using the parallelogram law, where the resultant force is represented by the diagonal of a parallelogram created by the individual forces.

5. Can the resultant force ever be greater than the sum of the individual forces?

No, the resultant force can never be greater than the sum of the individual forces. This is due to the principle of vector addition, which states that the resultant force is always less than or equal to the sum of the individual forces.

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