Assignment #1: Hand-In Problem - SOLUTION

Chapter 1, Problem #66 (text book numbers)

Three forces act on an object, as indicated in the drawing. Force has a magnitude of 21.0
newtons (21.0 N) and is directed to the left of the axis. Force has a magnitude of
15.0 N and points along the axis. What must be the magnitude and direction (specified by the
angle in the drawing) of the third force such that the vector sum of the three forces is 0 N?
66. REASONING We are given that the vector sum of the three forces is zero, so F1 + F2 + F3
= 0 N. Since F1 and F2 are known, F3 can be found from the relation F3 = −(F1 + F2). We
will use the x- and y-components of this equation to find the magnitude and direction of F3.

SOLUTION The x- and y-components of the equation F3 = −( F1 + F2) are:

x-component F3 x = − ( F1x + F2 x ) (1)

y-component (
F3 y = − F1 y + F2 y ) (2)

The table below gives the x- and y-components of F1 and F2:

Vector x component y component

F1 F1x = −(21.0 N) sin 30.0° = −10.5 N F1y = −(21.0 N) cos 30.0° = +18.2 N
F2 F2x = +15.0 N F2y = 0 N

Substituting the values for F1x and F2x into Equation (1) gives

F3 x = − ( F1x + F2 x ) = − ( −10.5 N + 15.2 N ) = −4.5 N

Substituting F1y and F2y into Equation (2) gives

( )
F3 y = − F1 y + F2 y = − ( +18.2 N + 0 N ) = −18.2 N

The magnitude of F3 can now be obtained by employing the Pythagorean theorem:

F3 = F32x + F32y = ( −4.5 N )2 + ( −18.2 N )2 = 18.7 N

The angle θ that F3 makes with respect to the −x axis can be determined from the inverse
tangent function (Equation 1.6),

 F3 y  −1  −18.2 N 
θ = tan −1   = tan   = 76°
 F3 x   −4.5 N 