Well, because F1 is the tension of the left rope right? In the triangle, it seems like only a section of the "rope" is included in the triangle, while the rest is excluded. Why is that?
I know how to solve this problem with x and y components but how do I solve it with the equilibrant/resultant method? I don't understand how you can make a triangle with both F1 and F2 when in the diagram it looks like the magnitude F1 is only partially represented? Why are we just ignoring the...