Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Find the angle between two vector forces...?

Find the angle between two vector forces of equal magnitude, such that the resultant is 1/3 as much as either of the original forces.

I have absolutely no idea how to solve this. Could someone help me out?

3 Answers

Relevance
  • 8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    draw a diagram of this sized as best you can

    the two forces will be quite widely spread

    now complete the parallelogram

    let's look at the left side of the diagram

    we have an isoscles triangle

    just to make it easy le'ts call the vectors 3 and the diagonal 1

    looking at the angle between the vector and the diagonal and calling it angle C

    we can fit that into the Law of Cosines

    c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2 a b cosC

    3^2 = 3^2 + 1^2 - 2 (3) (1) cosC

    9 = 9 + 1 - 6cosC

    6cosC = 1

    cosC = 1/6 = 0.1667

    C = 80.4 deg

    this is half the angle between the two vectors

    so 2(80.4) = 160.8 degrees

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    From what you have, the resultant is less than the other sides of the triangle formed by the three vectors (the two forces and their resultant). Then the resultant is a difference, say, F=F1-F2. Such a configuration has been worked out already as the law of cosines. That is:

    F^2 = F1^2 + F2^2 -2×F1×F2×cos(x) where x is the angle between F1 and F2. Since F1 = F2 and F = 1/3 F1, the equation above becomes:

    (1/3 F1)^2 = 2×F1^2 -2×F1^2×cos(x) which reduces to

    1/18 = 1 - cos(x). So you'll have cos(x) = 17/18 and hence x = arccos(17/18) = 19.188°.

  • 5 years ago

    initiate by ability of drawing your self a diagram | 12 lbs | | 60 ranges |._______20lbs____ considering that the two between the forces are vectors you could restructure them to type a parallelogram. for this reason, you could re-draw the form like this: |------------------------20lbs |one hundred twenty ranges* |12lbs | *The sum of adjoining angles in a parallelogram is a hundred and eighty ranges. by ability of drawing a resultant between your commencing element and your end element you presently have a triangle with an unknown element (x, the ensuing), 2 commonplace components and a commonplace perspective. From here you ought to use the regulation of Cosines: c^2 = a^2+b^2-2ab*cos(C) x^2 = 12^2 + 20^2 - 2*12*20*cos(one hundred twenty) x^2 = 784 x = 28 lbs.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.