two lifeguards pull on ropes attached to a raft. If they pull in the same direction, the raft experiences a net external force of 341 N to the right. If they pull in opposite directions, the raft experiences a net external force of 108 N to the left.
a) what is the magnitude of the larger of the two individual forces? (in units of N)
b) What is the magnitude of the smaller of the individual forces? (in units of N)
ok i figured out!.
wait how did you figure it out?
To answer these questions, we need to understand the concept of net external force and how it affects the motion of an object.
a) The magnitude of the larger of the two individual forces can be found by adding the magnitudes of the net external force to the magnitudes of the individual forces when they pull in the same direction. In this case, the net external force is 341 N to the right. Thus, both lifeguards are pulling in the same direction, so the magnitude of the larger force is 341 N.
b) The magnitude of the smaller of the two individual forces can be found by subtracting the magnitude of the net external force from the magnitude of the larger force when they pull in opposite directions. Here, the net external force is 108 N to the left. Since it is to the left, it has the opposite direction to the larger force. Therefore, we subtract 108 N from the magnitude of the larger force to find the magnitude of the smaller force.
To summarize:
a) The magnitude of the larger force is 341 N.
b) The magnitude of the smaller force is the magnitude of the larger force (341 N) minus the magnitude of the net external force (108 N), which equals 233 N.