Calculating Forces Flashcards
Forces (14 cards)
What is the first step in using scale drawings to find resultant forces?
Draw all the forces acting on an object, to scale, ‘tip-to-tail’.
What do you draw after arranging the forces ‘tip-to-tail’?
Draw a straight line from the start of the first force to the end of the last force.
How do you determine the magnitude of the resultant force from a scale drawing?
Measure the length of the resultant force on the diagram.
What is the purpose of using a protractor in force diagrams?
To measure the direction of the resultant force as a bearing.
If a man is on an electric bicycle with a driving force of 4 N north and a wind force of 3 N east, what is the resultant force?
5 N on a bearing of 037°.
What does it mean for an object to be in equilibrium?
The forces on it are balanced, resulting in a resultant force of zero.
In a scale diagram for an object in equilibrium, where should the last force end?
Where the tail of the first force begins.
What shape do the forces form in a scale diagram if there are three forces acting on an object in equilibrium?
A triangle.
How can you find a missing force when given other forces in equilibrium?
Draw the known forces to scale and ‘tip-to-tail’, then draw a line from the end of the last force to the start of the first force.
What can be said about forces that act at awkward angles?
They can be split into two components at right angles to each other.
What effect do the horizontal and vertical components of a force have?
Together, they have the same effect as the single force.
How do you resolve a force into components?
Draw it on a scale grid and add the horizontal and vertical components along the grid lines.
Fill in the blank: An object is in equilibrium if the forces on it combine to give a resultant force of _______.
zero.
True or False: The resultant force can be determined without measuring the length on the scale drawing.
False.
