1

Forces in Equilibrium
PHYS 1313 Prof. T.E. Coan
Version: 3 Aug 99

Introduction: An object is said to be in e!ui"ibriu#$ %&en t&ere is no net force acting on it. 'e%ton(s )irst *a% t&en c"ai#s t&at in suc& a situation t&e object(s +e"ocit, %i"" not c&ange. )ina"",- in a .re+ious "ab %e &a+e seen e+idence t&at forces are +ectors and t&erefore obe, t&e "a%s of +ector addition. Toda,(s "ab %i"" de#onstrate 'e%ton(s )irst "a% and t&e +ector nature of forces. /, using si#."e %eig&ts- .u""e,s and strings ."aced around a circu"ar force$ tab"e- se+era" forces %i"" be a.."ied to an object "ocated in t&e center of t&e tab"e in suc& a %a, t&at t&e forces e0act", cance" eac& ot&er. T&e object %i"" be in e!ui"ibriu# and a..ear to be at rest. 1e %i"" use t&e force tab"e to de#onstrate 'e%ton(s )irst *a% and to stud, t&e deco#.osition and addition of +arious force +ectors. Simplified Theory As %e sa% in a .re+ious e0.eri#ent on +ectors- an, +ector can be decomposed into se+era" ot&er +ectors %&ic&- %&en added toget&er- .roduce t&e origina" +ector. T&is %as essentia" to our stud, of t&e inc"ined ."ane- %&ere t&e force %e %ere concerned %it& %as t&e component of t&e %eig&t +ector t&at %as .ara""e" to t&e inc"ined ."ane. So#eti#es%&en doing ca"cu"ations %&ic& in+o"+e adding se+era" +ectors- it is usefu" to brea2 u. t&e indi+idua" +ectors into co#.onents and t&en to add t&e co#.onents. Ho% cou"d t&is e0tra ste. of deco#.osition actua"", faci"itate t&e so"ution3 Vectors are s.ecified b, t&eir #agnitude and direction- %it& t&e #agnitude being so#e sca"ar .ositi+e nu#ber and t&e direction usua"", gi+en b, so#e ang"e. 4f ,ou are tr,ing to add t&e +ectors using a .rotractor and ru"er b, t&e 5.ara""e"ogra# #et&od5- ,ou %i"" &a+e to dra% a"" t&e +ectorst&en add t&e# u. gra.&ica"",- one b, one- unti" ,ou &a+e co#."eted t&e tas2 and %it& !uestionab"e .recision in ,our resu"t. T&e co#.onent #et&od reduces t&e addition to one ste.. )urt&er#ore- t&is ste. is ana",tica" 6adding nu#bers7 rat&er t&an gra.&ica" 6dra%ing .ictures7- ,ie"ding t&e best .ossib"e .recision. 4n t&e inc"ined8."ane e0.eri#ent- t&e do%n&i"" force %as t&e co#.onent of t&e %eig&t +ector t&at %as .ara""e" to t&e ."ane. 1e found t&is co#.onent b, #u"ti.",ing t&e %eig&t b, t&e sine of t&e ang"e of t&e ."ane. 'o% "et us consider a #ore genera" case. 4n t&e Cartesian coordinate s,ste#- a .oint on t&e gra.& is s.ecified b, t%o sca"ar nu#bers- x and y. T&e coordinate x gi+es t&e distance fro# t&e origin to t&e .oint in !uestion and t&e direction along the x-axis. T&e coordinate y gi+es t&e distance fro# t&e origin to t&e .oint in !uestion and t&e direction along the y-axis. T&e abso"ute +a"ue of t&e coordinate indicates t&e "engt& a"ong t&e a0is- %&i"e t&e sign 6.ositi+e or negati+e7 te""s t&e direction 6"eft or rig&t- u. or do%n7 of #otion. Ho% can t&is be used %it& +ectors3

2 Consider t&e +ector R t&at "ies in t&e x-y ."ane. 4f %e ."ace t&e tai" of R at t&e origin- R .oints a%a, fro# t&e origin "i2e t&e &and of a c"oc2. R a"so #a2es so#e ang"e %it& t&e .ositi+e x 8a0is 6#easured counter8c"oc2%ise7. T&e ti. of R rests on t&e Cartesian coordinate 6Rx - Ry 7. 4n fact- Rx and Ry are ca""ed t&e components of t&e +ector R. 'o% consider anot&er +ector S- its co#.onents- and t&e su# of R and S- t&e +ector T. y Ry Ty T S
x

S R

Tx S Sy

Rx

R+S=T

9bser+e t&at t&e co#.onents of S are negati+e in t&is e0a#."e. T&e co#.onents of t&e resu"tant +ector T- 6Tx - Ty 7 are e!ua" to 6Rx : Sx - Ry : Sy 7. Since t&e "engt& of T is t&e &,.otenuse of a rig&t8triang"e %it& sides of "engt&s Tx and Ty - t&e #agnitude of T is: T ; T&e con+enient t&ing about t&e co#.onent #et&od is t&at ,ou on", &a+e to add sca"ar nu#bers to get t&e fina" +ector. T&is rea"", s.eeds t&ings u. %&en ,ou &a+e #ore t&an t%o +ectors to add. But how do you get the components from the magnitude and the angle ? T&e force tab"e gi+es ,ou t&e ang"e and t&e #agnitude of t&e different +ectors. Ho% can a +ector be decomposed into x and y co#.onents3 *ets "oo2 at t&e rig&t8triang"e 98A8 H 6notation for o..osite- adjacent- &,.otenuse7: H O A As %e sa% "ast %ee2- t&e sine of ang"e is t&e ratio . T&ere is anot&er function ca""ed t&e cosine- %&ic& is t&e ratio . T&erefore- if ,ou 2no% and t&e "engt& of side H- ,ou can ca"cu"ate 9 and A: 9 ; H sin

3 A ; H cos 'o% if %e set t&e rig&t triang"e 98A8H in suc& a %a, t&at side A "ies a"ong t&e x8a0is and side 9 "ies a"ong t&e y8a0is- and treat side H as our +ector R- %e see a %a, to ca"cu"ate t&e x and y co#.onents: y Ry R

Rx

Rx ; R cos Ry ; R sin You %i"" notice t&at for greater t&at 9<=- t&e nu#bers Rx and Ry #a, be negati+e. )or t&e force tab"e- t&e co#.onents of t&e indi+idua" tensions %i"" be ca"cu"ated b, t&is #et&od. T&e x and y co#.onents of a force T in t&e direction gi+en b, t&e ang"e %i"" be: Tx ; T cos Ty ; T sin T&e ang"e %i"" a"%a,s be #easured as abo+e- %it& >ero .ointing a"ong t&e .ositi+e x8a0is and increasing in a counter8c"oc2%ise direction.

4 Procedure Part 9ne: 1. *e+e" t&e force tab"e and .ut one of t&e .u""e,s at t&e ang"e <=. ?. Put t&e s"ot %eig&ts in t&e &o"ders suc& t&at eac& one &as a tota" #ass of ?<< g. 3. Arrange t&e ot&er t%o .u""e,s suc& t&at t&e ring connecting t&e different strings re#ains fi0ed at t&e e0act center of t&e tab"e. Ta. t&e tab"e to #a2e sure t&at it re#ains fi0ed. At t&is .oint t&e ring is at e!ui"ibriu#. @. Aecord as T1- T2 - and T3 - t&e tensions in eac& of t&e strings. B. Aecord as 1 - 2 - and 3- t&e res.ecti+e angu"ar .ositions of t&e .u""e,s. C. )ind t&e x and y co#.onents of eac& of t&e tensions. Aecord t&ese as T1x - T1y- et cetera. D. 'o% find t&e resu"tant force +ector b, adding t&e res.ecti+e co#.onents of t&e indi+idua" string forces. 1&at do ,ou find3 Part T%o: Ae.eat .art one- but c&ange t&e #ass on t&e .u""e, E1 at <= to 3<< g. Part T&ree: Ae.eat .art one- but %it& #asses of ?<<- 3<<- and @<< g. Conclusions 1. 1rite about %&at ,ou "earned in t&is e0.eri#ent. Ae#e#ber to e0."ain how ,ou reac&ed ,our conc"usion. ?. 1&en t&e t&ree 5tension +ectors5 %ere added- %&at %as t&e resu"tant +ector3 Ae#e#ber to gi+e bot& t&e #agnitude of t&e +ector and its direction. 1&at re"e+ance does t&is &a+e for 'e%ton(s )irst *a%3 3. 1ere t&e forces .roduced b, t&e t&ree %eig&ts fro# t&e &anging #asses t&e on", forces affecting t&e tensions in t&e strings3 @. 4f t&e center ring %ere to &a+e considerab"e #ass- %&at effect %ou"d it &a+e on t&e e0.eri#ent3 Error Analysis 4f ,our resu"ts are not %&at ,ou e0.ected- e0."ain %&, t&is is so. 1&at are .ossib"e sources of error in t&is e0.eri#ent and e0."ain %&, t&e, are re"e+ant.

Forces in Equilibrium
PHYS 1313 Prof. T.E. Coan
+ersion: 3 Aug 99

Name: Abstract

Section:

Part !ne

m1 m2 m3
Calculations

T1 T2 T3

1 2 3

T1x T2x T3x x

T1y T2y T3y y

6 Part T"o

m1 m2 m3
Calculations

T1 T2 T3

1 2 3

T1x T2x T3x x

T1y T2y T3y y

7 Part Three

m1 m2 m3
Calculations

T1 T2 T3

1 2 3

T1x T2x T3x x

T1y T2y T3y y

Conclusions

Error Analysis