Resolving Horizontal Force F: Explanation and Process

[Kalus]

Ok, this is a stupid question, but which way can I resolve the force F acting horizontally?

[PLAIN]http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/2646/vectorsw.jpg

If I want to resolve the force F along the black member, then why does force along the black member if resolved using the blue triangle differ from the resolving down the member from the red triangle?

Thanks :)

 

[gneill]

If F is the vector you want to resolve into components, then those components will be different for different coordinate systems.

It would appear that for your blue triangle, if the blue lines are meant to represent components, that the coordinate system is non-Cartesian in that the axes are not perpendicular.