Net force and Newton's laws of motion

In summary, the net force on the barge being hauled by two horses at an angle of 19° to the centerline of the canal can be found by breaking the forces into components and adding them together. The x components will cancel out, and the y components will equal 0. By using the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of the net force, the correct answer can be obtained.
  • #1
warrior2014
34
0
Net force and Newton's laws of motion!

Homework Statement



A barge is hauled along a straight-line section of canal by two horses harnessed to tow ropes and walking along the tow paths on either side of the canal. Each horse pulls with a force of 490 N at an angle of 19° with the centerline of the canal. What is the net force on the barge?

Homework Equations



Fx= F1x + F2x...
Fy= F1y + F2y...
Fnet

The Attempt at a Solution



I broke it into components and got the following:

F1x= 490cos19
F2x=490cos19
F1y=490sin19
F2y=490sin19

I'm not too sure where to go from here. I think you add all the Fx components and Fy components, then square them and take the square root but when I tried that, I got it wrong, which was 980 N (and they do not give you the correct answer).

Any help will be appreciated!
 
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  • #2


You have to consider direction of the force as well as magnitude. Do F1y and F2y point in the same direction??
 
  • #3


F1y points upwards and F2y points downwards. So then when you do the sum of Fy=0. Then I tried to find Fnet and got 30.44 N which is also incorrect. I don't know what I am doing wrong :S
 
  • #4


warrior2014 said:
F1y points upwards and F2y points downwards. So then when you do the sum of Fy=0. Then I tried to find Fnet and got 30.44 N which is also incorrect. I don't know what I am doing wrong :S

Yes, the y forces cancel. But how you did you get 30.44N?? Just giving an answer makes it hard to guess what you did wrong.
 
  • #5


since F1x= 490cos19 and F2x= 490cos19, I added them and got 926.61 so I squared this answer and then did the square root of it. what am I supposed to do exactly and why?
 
  • #6


oh never mind. HUGE calculation error on my part. I got the correct answer :) thanks for your help!
 

1. What is net force?

Net force is the overall force acting on an object, taking into account all the individual forces acting on it in different directions.

2. What are Newton's laws of motion?

Newton's laws of motion are three fundamental principles that describe the behavior of objects in motion. The first law states that an object will remain at rest or in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force. The second law states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. The third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

3. How do you calculate net force?

To calculate net force, you must first determine all the individual forces acting on the object. Then, you can use the formula Fnet = ma, where Fnet is the net force, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration. The direction of the net force will depend on the direction of the individual forces.

4. What is the difference between mass and weight?

Mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, while weight is a measure of the gravitational force acting on an object. Mass is constant and does not change, while weight can vary depending on the strength of gravity.

5. How do Newton's laws of motion apply to everyday life?

Newton's laws of motion can be seen in many everyday situations. For example, the first law explains why objects stay in motion until acted upon by a force, such as a ball rolling down a hill. The second law can be observed when pushing a shopping cart - the harder you push, the faster it accelerates. The third law can be seen when a person jumps off a diving board - the force of their feet pushing down on the board causes an equal and opposite force propelling them into the air.

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