When a boy pulls his sled with a rope, the rope makes an angle of 70 with the horizontal. If a pull of 16 pounds on the rope is needed to move the sled, what is the horizontal component force?

looks like

x/16 = cos70º

To find the horizontal component force, we need to determine the force acting in the horizontal direction. This can be done by finding the cosine of the angle between the force and the horizontal direction.

In this case, the angle between the rope and the horizontal direction is given as 70 degrees. We know that the force required to move the sled is 16 pounds.

The horizontal component force can be calculated using the formula:

Horizontal component force = Force * cos(angle)

Substituting the given values into the formula, we have:

Horizontal component force = 16 pounds * cos(70 degrees)

To find the value of cos(70 degrees), we can use a calculator or reference a table of trigonometric values. In this case, cos(70 degrees) is approximately 0.342.

Therefore, the horizontal component force is:

Horizontal component force = 16 pounds * 0.342 ≈ 5.47 pounds

So, the horizontal component force needed to move the sled is approximately 5.47 pounds.

To find the horizontal component force, we need to determine the force acting in the horizontal direction. This can be done by using the given angle of the rope with the horizontal and the pulling force applied.

The horizontal component force can be calculated using trigonometry. Since we have the angle and the force, we can use the cosine function to find the horizontal component force.

The equation for the horizontal component force is:

Horizontal component force = Pulling force * cosine(angle)

Given:
Pulling force = 16 pounds
Angle = 70 degrees

Plugging in the values, we get:

Horizontal component force = 16 * cosine(70)

Using a scientific calculator, we evaluate cosine(70) to be approximately 0.342:

Horizontal component force = 16 * 0.342

Multiplying the values, we find:

Horizontal component force ≈ 5.472 pounds

Therefore, the horizontal component force is approximately 5.472 pounds.