Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Three forces in a plane keep a ring at rest, so their vectors add up to zero. They are , and . A student claims that the three cross products , and are all equal. Find . Check the claim by finding the -component of and the -component of . Then find the size of .
The cross product is the determinant
It is at right angles to both and , and . For a unit vector at right angles to both, divide it by its own size.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The vector . .
Step 2. The product . With the rows and : the part is , the part is and the part is . So .
Step 3. The product . With the rows and the result is also , so its -component is .
Step 4. Why. . The same argument gives too.
Step 5. The size. , so .
Answer: , and about . The student is right.
What if? Half of , about , is the area of the triangle that the three forces make when drawn head to tail.
Log in to join the discussion.
Loading…