Final answer:
The net horizontal force on the sled, given forces of 145 N to the right and 316 N to the left, is 171 N to the left.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking to calculate the net horizontal force on a sled that is subject to two horizontal forces acting in opposite directions, one to the right and one to the left. To find the net force, you subtract the smaller force from the larger force and take the direction of the larger force as the direction of the net force. In this case, the forces are 145 N to the right and 316 N to the left.
The net force can be calculated by taking the difference between these two forces: 316 N left - 145 N right. This results in a net force of 171 N to the left. It's important to keep track of the direction of these forces along the x-axis as the direction contributes to the final answer.