Question

You and brother both want the 3 ft. stormtrooper and reach for it at the same time. You have the head and pull the stormtrooper away from your brother to the right with 17 N and your brother has the stormtrooper's feet and pulls in the opposite direction with 19 N. What is the net force and what direction will the stormtropper move?

a) 36 N to the right
b) 2 N to the right
c) 36 N to the left
d) 2 N to the left

Answer 1

The net force on the stormtrooper is 2 N to the left, resulting from subtracting the smaller force (17 N to the right) from the larger force (19 N to the left).

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the net force and its direction on the stormtrooper, we need to consider the forces applied by both you and your brother. Since the forces are in opposite directions, we subtract the smaller force from the larger one. This is a typical physics problem involving net force and direction of motion.

Your force: 17 N to the right
Your brother's force: 19 N to the left

Subtract your force from your brother's force (since both forces are in opposite directions):
19 N (left) - 17 N (right) = 2 N to the left

Therefore, the net force is 2 N and it will move in the direction of your brother's pull, which is to the left.