Two guy ropes are tied to a ring at the top of a tent pole…

Contributed by StemPy Lab

Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.

Two guy ropes are tied to a ring at the top of a tent pole. One pulls with $9\ \text{N}$ , the other with $5\ \text{N}$ , and the angle between them is $75^\circ$ . Find the size of the resultant pull, and its angle from the $9\ \text{N}$ rope.

Need a reminder? The key ideaShow

For two forces $A$ and $B$ with an angle $\theta$ between them, the size of the resultant is given by

\displaystyle R^2 = A^2 + B^2 + 2AB\cos\theta

and its angle $\alpha$ from $\vec{A}$ by $\tan\alpha = \dfrac{B\sin\theta}{A + B\cos\theta}$ .

The worked solution

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.

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Two guy ropes are tied to a ring at the top of a tent pole…

The worked solution

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