The vectors adition we can find the magnitude of the force applied by the other astronaut is 11.25 N in the y direction
Parameters given
- Force of an astronaut Fₓ = 42 N
- Angle θ = 15º
To find
- Force another astronaut
The force is a vector magnitude for which the addition of vectors must be used, a very efficient method to perform this sum is to add the components of each vector and devise constructing the resulting vector using trigonometry and the Pythagorean theorem.
Let's use trigonometry to find the other force
tan θ =
F_ y = Fₓ tan θ
let's calculate
F_y = 42 tan 15
F_y = 11.25 N
Using the summation of vectors we can find the magnitude of the force applied by the other astronaut is 11.25 N in the y direction
Learn more about vector addition here: