Question

Kathryn decides to take her dog for a walk one day. Her dog tries pulling on her with a force of 15N. Kathryn pulls back with force of 20N. What is the net force?

Answer 1

Assuming both forces act horizontally, the net force is in Kathryn's direction with a magnitude of 5 N.

If "towards Kathryn" is taken the be the positive direction, then the net force is

∑ F = 20 N - 15 N = 5 N