Resultant Magnitude of Two Forces

In summary, the problem involves two forces, 464 N and 397 N, applied to a car at angles of 10 degrees and 35 degrees respectively. The solution is found by finding the X and Y components of each force and using Pythagoras theorem to find the resultant force, which is incorrect when using the given numbers. However, it was discovered that the mistake was in the Pythagorean Theorem and the correct solution is 762.08 N.
  • #1
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Homework Statement


Two forces, 464 N at 10 degrees and 397 N at 35 degrees are applied to a car in an effort to accelerate it. What is the magnitude of the resultant force. Answer in units of N.
The picture is attached.



Homework Equations


Pythags Theorem


The Attempt at a Solution


Well I thought this should be an easy problem but I've run into a wall here. I started out by taking the first force of 464 N and Finding its X and Y components. X= 464*cos10 and Y= 464*sin10 which gave me X1=465 and Y1=80.57. Then I did the same for F2 by using X=397*cos35 and Y=397*sin35 which gave me X2=325.20 and Y2=-227.71. Then I added up the sum of the forces in the X direction and got 776.15 and the Y direction= -147.14. Now that I have the sum of the forces in both directions I used Pythagoras theorem:
776.152+-147.142=F2 and I came out with a final answer of 762.08 which is incorrect. Can someone tell me where I went wrong. Am I way off? I thought I was on the right track here. My only other thinking was to place one of the forces on the positive x-axis and go from there, but if I bring the 35 degree angle up to that axis, does that change the 10 degree angle to 45 or do I still figure that force out with an angle of 10? Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it.
 

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  • #2
I think the mistake comes in working out the x-component for the 464N force. The component is greater than the actual force.
 
  • #3
That was actually a typo, the X1 is 350 something. I got it right, I just goofed in the Pythagorean Theorem and made a magnitude negative. Thanks for taking a look at that though. I certainly appreciate that.
 

Related to Resultant Magnitude of Two Forces

What is the resultant magnitude of two forces?

The resultant magnitude of two forces is the combined strength or size of the forces acting on an object. It is calculated by adding the individual magnitudes of the two forces together.

What is the formula for calculating the resultant magnitude of two forces?

The formula for calculating the resultant magnitude of two forces is R = √(F1² + F2² + 2F1F2cosθ), where R is the resultant magnitude, F1 and F2 are the individual forces, and θ is the angle between the two forces.

What does the resultant magnitude of two forces represent?

The resultant magnitude of two forces represents the net force acting on an object. It takes into account both the direction and magnitude of the individual forces to determine the overall effect on the object.

How does the angle between two forces affect the resultant magnitude?

The angle between two forces affects the resultant magnitude because it can either increase or decrease the overall strength of the forces. When the angle is 0° or 180°, the forces are in the same or opposite directions, respectively, and the resultant magnitude is at its maximum. However, when the angle is 90°, the forces are perpendicular and the resultant magnitude is reduced to the sum of the individual forces.

Can the resultant magnitude of two forces be negative?

No, the resultant magnitude of two forces cannot be negative. It is a scalar quantity and represents the size or strength of the forces, so it is always positive. However, the direction of the resultant force can be negative if it is in the opposite direction of the net force acting on an object.

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