PASCO ME-9502 Statics System - Manual (Page 19)

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M o d e l N o . M E - 9 5 0 2 E x p . 2 : A d d i n g F o r c e s — R e s u l t a n t s a n d E q u i l i b r i a n t s
0 1 2 - 1 2 8 7 6 B 15
Analysis
1. On a separate piece of graph paper, use the values you recorded in the table to construct a vector diagram for
F
1
, F
2
, and F
E
. Choose an appropriate scale, such as 2.0 centimeters per newton, and make the length of each
vector proportional to the magnitude of the force. Label each vector and indicate the magnitude of the force it
represents.
2. On your vector diagram, use the parallelogram method to draw the resultant of F
1
and F
2
. Label the resultant
F
R
. Measure the length of F
R
to determine the magnitude of the resultant force and record this magnitude on
your vector diagram.
3. On your diagram, measure the direction of F
R
relative to the horizontal axis of your diagram and label the
angle

R
.
Questions
1. Does the magnitude of the equilibriant force vector, F
E
, exactly balance the magnitude of the resultant force
vector, F
R
. If not, what are some possible reasons for the difference?
2. How does the direction of the equilibriant force vector, F
E
, compare to the direction of the resultant force vec-
tor, F
R
?
Extension
Vary the magnitudes and directions of F
1
and F
2
and repeat the experiments.