Question

You are participating in the Iditarod, and your sled dogs are pulling you across a frozen lake with a force of 1250 N while a 400 N wind is blowing at you at 160 degrees from your direction of travel. What is the net force (magnitude in newtons and direction in degrees from your direction of travel)? (Give the smallest angle between the direction of travel and the direction of the net force. Assume that you are traveling in the +x-direction and that the wind is blowing from the second quadrant of the xy-plane.)

I got the magnitude of: 1640.25 N

But i still need the direction: (° from your direction of travel)

Answer 1

Hi,

Hope you are doing well.

We know that magnitude of the resultant of 2 vectors is given by,

We have given that,

P= 1250 N

Q=400 N

(refer figure)

Now angle made by resultant with one of the vectors( 'P' which is in the direction of travel) is given by,