Question

A body of mass 5kg is acted upon by two perpendicular forces 8N and 6N. Give the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the body.

Answer 1

Mass of the body, m = 5 kg 

The given situation can be represented as follows: 

The negative sign indicates that θ is in the clockwise direction with respect to the force of magnitude 8 N. 

According to Newton’s second law of motion 

Acceleration (a) of the body is given as,

Answer 2

 Resultant force = 10N at an angle of tan^-1(3/4) = 37° with the directionof 8N force. Acceleration = 2ms^-1 in the same direction as the resultant force