Gaurav Gupta
Last Activity: 7 Years ago
To find the resultant force acting on one of the angular points of a regular hexagon due to the forces of 20N, 30N, 40N, and 60N directed toward the other five angular points, we can break this down into manageable steps. It’s helpful to visualize the hexagon and the angles involved, as this will make the calculations clearer.
Understanding the Geometry
A regular hexagon has six equal angles of 120 degrees between adjacent sides. Since we want to calculate the resultant force acting at one angular point and directed toward the other points, we will consider the angles formed by these forces.
Setting Up the Forces
Let’s assign the forces as follows, based on their direction toward the other angular points:
- F1 = 20N at 0° (along the x-axis)
- F2 = 30N at 120°
- F3 = 40N at 240°
- F4 = 60N at 360° (or 0° again)
Resolving Forces into Components
To find the resultant force, we must first break each force into its x and y components. The x and y components can be calculated using the cosine and sine functions, respectively.
Force Components
- F1:
- Fx1 = 20N * cos(0°) = 20N
- Fy1 = 20N * sin(0°) = 0N
- F2:
- Fx2 = 30N * cos(120°) = 30N * (-0.5) = -15N
- Fy2 = 30N * sin(120°) = 30N * (√3/2) ≈ 25.98N
- F3:
- Fx3 = 40N * cos(240°) = 40N * (-0.5) = -20N
- Fy3 = 40N * sin(240°) = 40N * (-√3/2) ≈ -34.64N
- F4:
- Fx4 = 60N * cos(360°) = 60N
- Fy4 = 60N * sin(360°) = 0N
Calculating the Resultant Force Components
Now, we can sum the x and y components of all the forces:
- Total Fx = Fx1 + Fx2 + Fx3 + Fx4 = 20N - 15N - 20N + 60N = 45N
- Total Fy = Fy1 + Fy2 + Fy3 + Fy4 = 0N + 25.98N - 34.64N + 0N ≈ -8.66N
Finding the Magnitude and Direction
The magnitude of the resultant force can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem:
|R| = √(Total Fx² + Total Fy²)
|R| = √(45² + (-8.66)²) ≈ √(2025 + 75.08) ≈ √2100.08 ≈ 45.83N
Next, we find the direction (angle θ) of the resultant using the arctangent function:
θ = tan⁻¹(Total Fy / Total Fx)
θ = tan⁻¹(-8.66 / 45) ≈ -10.82°
This angle indicates that the resultant force is directed slightly downward from the positive x-axis.
Final Result
The magnitude of the resultant force is approximately 45.83N, and it acts at an angle of −10.82° from the positive x-axis.
Understanding how to resolve forces and calculate the resultant using vector addition is crucial in physics, especially in problems involving multiple forces acting at angles. If you have further questions about any step in this process, feel free to ask!