How to Calculate Average Resultant Force?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the average resultant force in a physics problem involving a truck's change in velocity while making a turn. The subject area includes concepts of vector analysis and kinematics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the average force using a formula but questions the validity of their result. Another participant suggests considering the orthogonal nature of the vectors involved and provides a formula for average acceleration. There is also mention of using vector magnitudes to find the answer.

Discussion Status

The discussion includes attempts to clarify the calculation method and explore different approaches to understanding the problem. Some participants express agreement on the direction of the reasoning, but no explicit consensus on the final answer is reached.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working within the constraints of a homework problem, which may limit the information available for discussion. The original poster's initial calculation does not align with provided answers, prompting further exploration of the problem setup.

jack1234
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[SOLVED] Average Resultant Force

Hi for this question
http://tinyurl.com/3cbxlq

What I try is
Average Force
=(mv-mu)/t
=2000(6-4)/4
=1000
but this is not one of the answers. Meaning it is wrong.

May I know how to do this question?
 
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Well one has to take the difference between two vectors which are orthogonal (90°). So find the resultant vector and divide by the time to obtain the average acceleration.

\frac{\Delta\vec{F}}{\Delta{t}}\,=\,m\frac{\vec{v_f}-\vec{v_i}}{\Delta{t}}

Assume the truck's initial speed is 6 i m/s and it takes a right turn and has speed 4 j m/s, where i and j are unit vectors in the x and y directions
 
Last edited:
Got it, thanks :) Using magnitude of vector to get the answer, it is c.
 
Correct! :cool:
 

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