Curriculum

Course: Applied Mathematics — Second Secondary

Login

Curriculum

Applied Mathematics — Second Secondary

Unit 1: Statics

0/10

Unit 2: Solid and Analytic Geometry

0/10

Text lesson

Resolution of Forces

Applied Mathematics — Second Secondary

Resolution of Forces

Meaning of resolving a force

Meaning of resolving a force

Resolving a force means finding two forces, called the components, which have the same effect on the body as the original force.
In most problems we choose two perpendicular axes, one horizontal (the x-axis) and one vertical (the y-axis), and resolve each force along these axes.
If a force F makes an angle θ with the positive x-axis, its components are:

Comparison aspect	Main idea	Keywords
Horizontal component	Fx = F × cos θ
Vertical component	Fy = F × sin θ
•	To remember this note that the horizontal component is next to the angle θ (cos adjacent side) and the vertical component is opposite to θ (sin opposite side) in the right-angled triangle whose hypotenuse is the original force	remembernotehorizontalcomponent

Resolution of Forces · 1 / 6