Question

Two forces with magnitudes of 100 and 50 pounds act on an object at angles of 50° and 160°, respectively. Find the direction and magnitude of the resultant force. Round to two decimal places in all intermediate steps and in your final answer.

Answer 1

Forces in direction x:
fx1 = 100 * cos (50) = 64.28
fx2 = 50 * cos (160) = - 46.99
The resultant is:
fx = fx1 + fx2 = 17.29

Forces in direction y:
fy1 = 100 * sine (50) = 76.60
fy2 = 50 * sine (160) = 17.10
The resultant is:
fy = fy1 + fy2 = 93.70
The magnitude of the resulting force is:
f = root (fx ^ 2 + fy ^ 2)
f = root ((17.29) ^ 2 + (93.70) ^ 2)
f = 95.28
The angle is:
theta = atan (fy / fx)
theta = atan (93.70 / 17.29)
theta = 79.55 degrees
Answer:
The direction and magnitude of the resultant force are:
f = 95.28 pounds at theta = 79.55 degrees