I have a picture of one person pushing a boulder with 60 N and another person pushing from the same side at 90 N. The friction of the boulder is 40 N. The question asks to find the total force on the boulder.
Is "total force" just the net force in this case or something different?
total force is the sum of all the (directed) forces.
So, yes, I'd say it's the net force.
Is the net force 110 N?
yes. That is, it is 110N in the direction being pushed.
In this case, "total force" refers to the net force acting on the boulder. The net force is the vector sum of all the individual forces acting on an object. It determines how an object will accelerate (or decelerate) and in which direction it will move.
To calculate the total force on the boulder, we need to consider the individual forces acting on it. In this scenario, we have two people pushing the boulder from the same side and the force of friction opposing the motion.
Let's break down the forces:
1. The first person is pushing with a force of 60 N in a certain direction.
2. The second person is pushing with a force of 90 N in the same direction.
3. The force of friction opposing the motion is 40 N.
To find the total force, we need to find the net force. This can be done by adding or subtracting the magnitudes of the forces depending on their directions.
In this case, both people are pushing in the same direction, so we can add their forces:
Total force = 60 N + 90 N
Total force = 150 N
Finally, we subtract the force of friction since it opposes the motion:
Total force = 150 N - 40 N
Total force = 110 N
Therefore, the total force on the boulder is 110 N.