The sum of the magnitudes of two forces acting at a point is $16\, ext{N}$. The resultant of these forces is perpendicular to the smaller force and has magnitude $8\, ext{N}$. If the smaller force has magnitude $x$, then the value of $x$ is:

Question

The sum of the magnitudes of two forces acting at a point is $16\,	ext{N}$. The resultant of these forces is perpendicular to the smaller force and has magnitude $8\,	ext{N}$. If the smaller force has magnitude $x$, then the value of $x$ is:

Accepted Answer

6 N. Let the smaller force be $x$ and the larger be $16-x$. Since the resultant is perpendicular to the smaller force, the component of the resultant along the smaller force is zero, which leads to an equation that gives $x=6\,	ext{N}$.

The sum of the magnitudes of two forces acting at a point is $16\,\text{N}$. The resultant of these forces is perpendicular to the smaller force and has magnitude $8\,\text{N}$. If the smaller force has magnitude $x$, then the value of $x$ is:

Solution

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