Question

Two canal workers pull a barge along the narrow waterway at a constant speed. One worker pulls with a force of 165 N at an angle of 32.5° with respect to the forward motion of the barge and the other worker, on the opposite tow path, pulls at an angle of 35.7° relative to the barge motion. Both ropes are parallel to the ground. Part 1 out of 2 (a) With what magnitude force should the second worker pull to make the sum of the two forces be in the forward direction?

Answer 1

The free body diagram is below. (165 N) sin 32.5° 165 N (165 N) cos 32.5 T cos 35.7 32.5 35.7 T sin 35.7 For the horizontal net force, the vertical components are cancelling each other. Tsin 35.7-165sin 32.5 165 sin 32.5 sin 35.7 152.7 N