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When two forces act on a point particle, the resulting force, the resultant (also called the net force), can be determined by following the parallelogram rule of vector addition: the addition of two vectors represented by sides of a parallelogram, gives an equivalent resultant vector that is equal in magnitude and direction to the transversal ...
Because the angle of the equilibrant force is opposite of the resultant force, if 180 degrees are added or subtracted to the resultant force's angle, the equilibrant force's angle will be known. Multiplying the resultant force vector by a -1 will give the correct equilibrant force vector: <-10, -8>N x (-1) = <10, 8>N = C.
When only the magnitude and direction of the vector matter, and the particular initial or terminal points are of no importance, the vector is called a free vector. The distinction between bound and free vectors is especially relevant in mechanics, where a force applied to a body has a point of contact (see resultant force and couple ).
In physics and engineering, a resultant force is the single force and associated torque obtained by combining a system of forces and torques acting on a rigid body via vector addition. The defining feature of a resultant force, or resultant force-torque, is that it has the same effect on the rigid body as the original system of forces. [ 1 ]
Position, when thought of as a displacement from an origin point, is a vector: a quantity with both magnitude and direction. [9]: 1 Velocity and acceleration are vector quantities as well. The mathematical tools of vector algebra provide the means to describe motion in two, three or more dimensions.
A force is known as a bound vector—which means it has a direction and magnitude and a point of application. A convenient way to define a force is by a line segment from a point A to a point B. If we denote the coordinates of these points as A = (A x, A y, A z) and B = (B x, B y, B z), then the force vector applied at A is given by
The resultant vector is invariant of rotation of basis. Due to the dependence on handedness, the cross product is said to be a pseudovector. In connection with the cross product, the exterior product of vectors can be used in arbitrary dimensions (with a bivector or 2-form result) and is independent of the orientation of the space.
A force is either a push or a pull, and it tends to move a body in the direction of its action. The action of a force is characterized by its magnitude, by the direction of its action, and by its point of application (or point of contact). Thus, force is a vector quantity, because its effect depends on the direction as well as on the magnitude ...