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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY

ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022

Subject Click or tap

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Experiment 2 Section enter text.

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ADDITION Click or tap
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OBJECTIVES:

• To demonstrate vector addition using the interactive force table.

• To compare the resultant obtained from force table to the resultant using graphical and
analytical methods.

PRINCIPLE:

Forces are vector quantities acting on an object. They can be concurrent forces or parallel
forces. Forces that pass through the same point are called Concurrent forces (Fig. 2.1). Concurrent
forces can be demonstrated using a force table. Also, force table is a device used to demonstrate the
equilibrant force. Equilibrant force is a single force that balances the sum of the forces acting on a body.
The sum of all forces acting on the body is called Resultant forces. And the force that balances the effect
of all forces acting on the body is the Equilibrant force. Equilibrant force has the same magnitude as the
resultant force but directly opposite the direction of the resultant force

There are two ways to solve the resultant: Graphical Method and Analytical Method. For the
graphical method, one may choose the Parallelogram method or the Polygon (tip-tail) method. To solve
by graphical solution, vectors are scaled. In the parallelogram method, vectors are drawn from one
original point (origin of the axis). Then, draw vector lines parallel to them connected in their tip ends
with their tail-ends meet at one point. From the origin, draw a line towards the point where the two
tail-ends meet. This line represents the resultant of the two vectors. Alternatively, in the polygon
method, the tip-end of one vector is connected to the tail-end of the second vector. The tip-end of the
third vector is then connected to the tip-end of the second vector. And so on, until the last vector is
connected to the others. From the tail-end of the first vector, draw a line towards the tip-end of the last
vector added in the system. This line represents the resultant of the vectors.

The other solution for adding vector is the Analytical Method. In solving the resultant force, we
will use the following equations:

magnitude of the resultant: |∑𝑛𝑖=1 𝐹⃑𝑖 | = 𝑅 = √𝑅𝑥2 + 𝑅𝑦2 ;

𝑛
Equation 2.1
|∑ 𝐹⃑𝑥𝑖 | = 𝑅𝑥 , 𝑥 − 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑅;
𝑖=1

|∑ 𝐹⃑𝑦𝑖 | = 𝑅𝑦 , 𝑦 − 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑅
𝑖=1
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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022

direction of the resultant:

𝑅𝑦
tan 𝜃𝑅 = 𝑅𝑥
; 𝜃𝑅 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑥 Equation 2.2

Since the resultant (R) and the equilibrant (E) have the same magnitude and is oppositely directed, their
sum is equal to zero. Hence, the forces are in equilibrium. That means, the magnitude and directions of
the forces acting on the object are balanced. This is the First Condition for Equilibrium.

PROCEDURES:

I. Equilibrium of Two Concurrent Forces

1. Using the interactive force table - https://www.geogebra.org/m/ygq9m5rd, set m3 , m4,
ϑ3 and ϑ4 equal to zero.
2. Set the values for 𝑚1 , 𝑚2 , 𝜗1 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝜗2 .
3. Record the values of R and 𝜗𝑅 .
4. Complete the table in the Laboratory report, with complete solution.
5. Compare your answer with the answers you get from your assignment (Graphical
Solution) by solving their percentage difference.
|𝑅 − 𝑅𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 |
%𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑅 + 𝑅 𝑥 100
𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙
( )
2

II. Equilibrium of Three Concurrent Forces

1. Using the interactive force table - https://www.geogebra.org/m/ygq9m5rd, set m4 and
ϑ4 equal to zero.
2. Set the values for 𝜗1 , 𝜗2 , 𝜗3 , 𝑚1 , 𝑚2 , 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚3 .
3. Record the values of R and 𝜗𝑅 .
4. Complete the table in the Laboratory report, with complete solution.
5. Compare your answer with the answers you get from your assignment (Graphical
Solution) by solving their percentage difference.
|𝑅 − 𝑅𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 |
%𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑥 100
𝑅 + 𝑅𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙
( )
2

III. Equilibrium of Four Concurrent Forces

1. Repeat the same procedures in 1 and II but this time all masses and thetas have values.

Laboratory Report
DATA AND RESULTS:

I. Equilibrium of Two Concurrent Forces - Using the interactive force table -

https://www.geogebra.org/m/ygq9m5rd

Force, N X – component Y – component Position, 𝜽𝒙

𝒎𝟏
𝒎𝟐
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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022
R
𝝑𝑹
E
𝝑𝑬
𝑹𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
𝝑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
%𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

Picture of the
Interactive force
table

Computations:

II. Equilibrium of Three Concurrent Forces - Using the interactive force table -
https://www.geogebra.org/m/ygq9m5rd

Force, N X – component Y – component Position, 𝜽𝒙

𝒎𝟏
𝒎𝟐
𝒎𝟑
R
𝝑𝑹
E
𝝑𝑬
𝑹𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022
𝝑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
%𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆

Picture of the
Interactive force
table

Computations:

III. Equilibrium of Four Concurrent Forces - Using the interactive force table -
https://www.geogebra.org/m/ygq9m5rd

Force, N X – component Y – component Position, 𝜽𝒙

𝒎𝟏
𝒎𝟐
𝒎𝟑
𝒎𝟒
R
𝝑𝑹
E
𝝑𝑬
𝑹𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
𝝑𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒑𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
%𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆
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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022

Picture of the
Interactive force
table

Computations:

CONCLUSION:
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QUESTIONS:
1. Show that the forces and its equilibrant in Table 1. will conform to Sine law.
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APH 1302L – APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIMENTS
MIDYEAR AY 2021 - 2022

2. If two vectors have the unequal magnitude, can their resultant be equal to zero?
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