Calculating the Resultant Force at J

[Kdawg]

Three forces act simultaneously on point J. One force is 20.0 N north; the second is 20.0 N west; the third is 10.0 N 60° east of north. Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant force.

 

[Fredrik]

Do you have any ideas yourself about how to do this? Do you know how to add vectors? Do you know what the magnitude of a vector is?

 

[Kdawg]

I know how to add vectors in a problem like "Two boys push on a box. One pushes with a force of 111 N to the east. The other exerts a force of 158 N to the north. What is the size and direction of the resultant force on the box?" Size = 193 Direction = 55. I also know this can be done by graphing the vectors and adding the x and y cordinates, I just can remeber how to get the x and y cordinates.

 

[Fredrik]

I'm assuming that only the northeast vector is a problem. It's magnitude is 10. Think of this as the length of the hypothenuse of a right triangle, and find the east (x) and north (y) components of the vectors using trigonometry (sin and cos). These components are just the other two sides of the right triangle, so I'm sure you've done this kind of thing before.