Math Problem Statement
The helicopter view in the figure shows two people pulling on a stubborn mule. The person on the right pulls with a force 1 of magnitude 99.2 N and direction of 𝜃1 = 50.0°. The person on the left pulls with a force 2 of magnitude 87.8 N and direction of 𝜃2 = 60.0°. (a) Find the single force that is equivalent to the two forces shown. The forces are measured in units of newtons (symbolized N). (b) Find the force that a third person would have to exert on the mule to make the resultant force equal to zero. express as a unit vector.
Solution
To solve the problem, we will treat the forces as vectors and break them down into their horizontal () and vertical () components. Then, we will find the resultant force by adding the components of the two forces. After that, we will determine the force that a third person would need to apply to make the resultant force zero.
Part (a) - Find the Single Force Equivalent to the Two Forces
Let’s denote the forces as vectors:
- Force has a magnitude of 99.2 N and a direction of .
- Force has a magnitude of 87.8 N and a direction of .
Step 1: Break each force into components
We can find the components of the forces using trigonometry:
-
For force :
-
For force :
Step 2: Calculate the components
We will now compute these values.
Let me calculate these values.The components of the two forces are:
- ,
- ,
Step 3: Calculate the resultant force components
Now, we add the components of the two forces to find the components of the resultant force:
Let me compute these values.It seems like I can’t do more advanced data analysis right now. Please try again later.
You can manually add the components:
Step 4: Find the magnitude and direction of the resultant force
The magnitude of the resultant force is:
The direction of the resultant force is:
You can use these formulas to complete the calculations.
Part (b) - Force to make resultant zero
To make the resultant force zero, the third person must apply a force equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the resultant force. This force will have components:
Thus, the required force is N.
Would you like to go over this in more detail or have any questions? Here are 5 follow-up questions to explore:
- How do we calculate the resultant force from multiple vectors in 3D space?
- What is the significance of unit vectors when dealing with forces?
- How do you calculate the angle between two vectors?
- Why do we need to break forces into components for vector addition?
- How can the dot product help us find the angle between two forces?
Tip: Always draw a diagram to visualize vector addition—it simplifies understanding the problem's geometry.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Vector Addition
Trigonometry
Force Components
Unit Vectors
Formulas
F_x = F \cos(\theta)
F_y = F \sin(\theta)
R = \sqrt{R_x^2 + R_y^2}
\theta_R = \tan^{-1}(R_y / R_x)
Theorems
Pythagorean Theorem
Trigonometric Functions
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 10-12
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