Question

What is the direction of the net force acting on an the plant that is experiencing a force of 20N in the North and a second force of 15N to the West? Report answer using Angle of Rotation (ie: 27° N of W) I need to do the following:1. Draw a free body diagram2. Identify Givens and Unknowns3. Identify the Equations4. Set up the equation using the givens and unknowns5.Solve

Answer 1

1. The free body diagram is shown below:

2.

Given:

F1 = 20N

F2 = 15N

Unknowns:

θ: direction of the net force = ?

3.

In order to find the unknown angle θ, use the tangent function, as follow:

$\tan \theta=\frac{opposite}{adjacent}$

where opposite is F1 and adjacent is F2. To obtain θ it is necessary to apply inverse tangent.

5. Then, you have:

$\theta=\tan ^{-1}(\frac{20N}{15N})=53.13$

Hence, the direction is 53.13 degrees to the north of the west