Force Vectors: Find Horizontal Acceleration & Direction for 5.00-kg Block

[MakeItThrough]

Homework Statement

http://www.webassign.net/CJ/04_11.gif
Two forces, F1 and F2, act on the 5.00-kg block shown in the drawing. The magnitudes of the forces are F1 = 30.0 N and F2 = 45.5 N. What is the horizontal acceleration (magnitude and direction) of the block? Direction... Left or Right?

Homework Equations

F = mass x acceleration
acceleration = F / Mass

The Attempt at a Solution

I got two x and y components:
F1x = cos65 x 30 = 12.68 N
F1y = sin65 x 30 = 27.19 N
I do not know how to calculate the acceleration, please help and explain. Thanks in advance.

*I figured out the horizontal acceleration, but how do you know which direction it goes? Left or right?

 

[PhanthomJay]

Theer are a couple of other forces in the y direction not shown, but that block isn't going anywhere in the y direction, so you need not concern yourself with y direction forces in this problem . You have F1x correct, what about F2x? Then look in the x direction using Newton's 2nd law to solve for the acceleration (magnitude AND direction) in the x direction.

 

[MakeItThrough]

ahh I figured it out. F1x is 12.68 N and F2 is 45.5 N. I just subtract 12.68 from 45.5 and that gives me 32.82 N. The mass of 5 kg is given.
Plugging this into the formula F=ma
32.82 / 5 kg = 6.564 m/s^2.
However, I'm not sure which direction the horizontal acceleration goes. Left or Right? How can you tell?

 

[PhanthomJay]

ahh I figured it out. F1x is 12.68 N and F2 is 45.5 N. I just subtract 12.68 from 45.5 and that gives me 32.82 N. The mass of 5 kg is given.
Plugging this into the formula F=ma
32.82 / 5 kg = 6.564 m/s^2.
However, I'm not sure which direction the horizontal acceleration goes. Left or Right? How can you tell?

The acceleration is always in the direction of the net force. Since F2 is greater than the horizontal component of F1, then the horizontal net force acts to the ____ and thus the acceleration is to the ____.

 

[MakeItThrough]

The acceleration is always in the direction of the net force. Since F2 is greater than the horizontal component of F1, then the horizontal net force acts to the ____ and thus the acceleration is to the ____.

Thank you! This is now starting to make sense!
(left)