The ring in a force table is pulled by four vectors X, Y and Z. Wherein X equals 5N at 60° and Y exactly located to west with 3N of force. What must be the magnitude and direction of vector Z if the ring is exactly at the origin and the vector sum of X, Y and Z is zero?
To solve this problem, we need to use vector addition and trigonometry.
First, let's draw a diagram representing the given information. We can draw a force table with a ring at the center, and label the vectors X, Y, and Z:
Code:
Z
↑
|
Y ←-----→ X
|
↓
We know that the vector sum of X, Y, and Z is zero, which means:
X + Y + Z = 0
We also know the magnitudes and angles of vectors X and Y:
|X| = 5 N
θX = 60°
|Y| = 3 N
To find the magnitude and direction of vector Z, we can rearrange the equation above to solve for Z:
Z = -X - Y
We can break down vector Z into its x and y components using trigonometry. Let's call the magnitude of vector Z |Z| and its angle α:
|Z|cos(α) = Zx
|Z|sin(α) = Zy
We can substitute the values we know into the equation for Z:
Zx = -|X|cos(θX) - |Y|
Zy = -|X|sin(θX)
Now we can solve for |Z| and α using the Pythagorean theorem and inverse trigonometric functions: