Calculating Moments About a Point

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Bolter
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Homework Statement
See below
Relevant Equations
moment = force x perpendicular distance
Not sure if I answered this question right

Diagram of a beam pinned at point O at its lower left end, inclined 30 degrees above horizontal, with a 3 kN force acting at its upper end at 20 degrees above horizontal, labelled 0.15 m and 1.5 m.

Handwritten sketch of a bar at 30 degrees with a 3 kN force at 20 degrees, x and y axes, and lengths 1.5 m and 0.15 m, with working for the moment about O: M_O = -(1.93 x 0.15) + (2.3 x 1.5) = 3.16 kN m clockwise.


I took my clockwise moments as +ve and counter-clockwise moments as -ve

Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks
 
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Should ##F_x## be positive or negative?

Are you sure you took clockwise as positive for the moments? Does ##F_y## tend to rotate the object clockwise or counterclockwise?
 
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TSny said:
Should ##F_x## be positive or negative?

Are you sure you took clockwise as positive for the moments? Does ##F_y## tend to rotate the object clockwise or counterclockwise?

Oh it looks like Fy is trying to rotate the bar counter-clockwise
whereas Fx is also rotating it counter-clockwise?

so let's say I took counter-clockwise to be a positive moment, then the moment about O is (Fx * 0.15) + (Fy * 1.5) = 3.74 kN?
 
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Bolter said:
Oh it looks like Fy is trying to rotate the bar counter-clockwise
whereas Fx is also rotating it counter-clockwise?
Yes

so let's say I took counter-clockwise to be a positive moment, then the moment about O is (Fx * 0.15) + (Fy * 1.5) = 3.74 kN?
Looks good except for the units of the answer.
 
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