A particle is in equilibrium under the action of three forces. If two forces are known, how can the third force be determined?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
A particle is in equilibrium under the action of three forces. If two forces are known, how can the third force be determined?
By vector addition of the first two forces
By subtracting the first two forces
By multiplying the first two forces
By taking the average of the first two forces
The third force can be determined by vector addition of the first two forces to ensure the net force is zero.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
1 item
Q
Q: A particle is in equilibrium under the action of three forces. If two forces are known, how can the third force be determined?
Solution: The third force can be determined by vector addition of the first two forces to ensure the net force is zero.
Steps: 6
Step 1: Identify the two known forces acting on the particle. Let's call them Force A and Force B.
Step 2: Represent Force A and Force B as vectors. This means you need to know their magnitudes and directions.
Step 3: Use vector addition to combine Force A and Force B. This involves adding their components in the x-direction and y-direction separately.
Step 4: Calculate the resultant force from the addition of Force A and Force B. This resultant force is the total force acting on the particle from these two forces.
Step 5: Since the particle is in equilibrium, the net force must be zero. Therefore, the third force (let's call it Force C) must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the resultant force from Step 4.
Step 6: Determine the magnitude and direction of Force C. This will give you the third force needed to keep the particle in equilibrium.
