Question

Why is the sum of forces/net force less than the applied force? Think about the direction of the forces in your answer

Answer 1

Answer:

he same direction the magnitude of the resultant is equal to the scalar sum of the magnitude of the forces, but if they are applied in different directions the magnitude must be found using the Pythagorean theorem

Explanation:

When there are several applied forces, if they are all in the same direction the magnitude of the resultant is equal to the scalar sum of the magnitude of the forces, but if they are applied in different directions the magnitude must be found using the Pythagorean theorem, so which the resulting dowry is less than the sum of the magnitudes.

Let's carry out an example with two forces, F1 and F2 of equal magnitudes

if they are in the same direction

           F_total = F₁ + F₂ = 2 F

if they are at 90º

          F_total = $\sqrt{F_1^2 + F_2^2}= \sqrt{2} \ F$

if they are at 180º

          F_total = F₁ -F₂ = 0