Resolving forces

• What should you be able to do by the end of the video?

  Use a vector diagram to resolve a force
• What is the purpose of using vector diagrams in this context?

  To resolve a single force into two components
• What type of students is this video intended for?

  Higher-tier students only
• What did the last video cover?

  Resultant of two forces acting at an angle
• What does a horizontal force indicate?

  All force acts in the horizontal direction
• What does a vertical force indicate?

  All force acts in the vertical direction
• What does a diagonal force imply?

  Part of the force acts horizontally and vertically
• What do the x and y-axes represent in the vector diagram?

  Horizontal and vertical components of the force
• What must the two components of a force be?

  At right angles to each other
• How can we determine the magnitude of the components?

  By drawing a vector diagram to scale
• At what angle is the 100 Newton force acting?

  35 degrees with the horizontal
• What scale is used in the vector diagram?

  1 centimeter equals 10 Newtons
• How long is the vector representing the 100 Newton force?

  10 centimeters
• What are the magnitudes of the horizontal and vertical components in Newtons?

  83 Newtons and 57 Newtons
• What should you do with faint lines in the exam?

  Blob out faint lines to show final vectors
• What is the force and angle in the question for practice?

  75 Newton force at 20 degrees
• What should you do to solve the practice question?

  Draw a vector diagram and measure components
• What are the lengths of the components in the practice question?

  7 cm and 2.5 cm
• What do the lengths of the components represent in Newtons?

  70 Newtons and 25 Newtons
• What is the process of resolving a force into components?

  • Identify the force acting at an angle
  • Draw a vector diagram
  • Use axes to represent components
  • Measure lengths of components
  • Calculate magnitudes of components
• What are the steps to draw a vector diagram for resolving forces?

  1. Draw faint horizontal and vertical axes
  2. Measure the angle from the horizontal
  3. Draw the force vector to scale
  4. Draw dotted lines to axes from vector head
  5. Measure lengths of horizontal and vertical components