Question

Sue and Jenny kick a soccer ball at exactly the same time. Sue's foot exerts a forc28.85 N East. Jenny's foot exerts a force of 15.53 N North. What is the directiolthe resultant force on the ball?

Answer 1

Sue's foot exerts a force of 28.85 N East.

Jenny's foot exerts a force of 15.53 N North.

We are asked to find the direction of the resultant force on the ball.

Let us draw a diagram to better understand the problem.

We need to find the angle as shown in the above diagram.

With respect to the angle θ, the adjacent side is 28.85 N and the opposite side is 15.53 N

Recall the trigonometric ratio,

`\tan \theta=(opposite)/(adjacent)`

Let us substitute the given values and take the inverse of tanθ.

`\begin{gathered} \tan \theta=(15.33)/(28.85) \\ \theta=\tan ^(-1)((15.33)/(28.85)) \\ \theta=27.98\degree \end{gathered}`

Therefore, the direction of the resultant force on the ball is 27.98° northeast.