Two forces of 3 N and 4 N act at right angles to each other. The magnitude of their resultant is
- A. 1 N
- B. 5 N
- C. 7 N
- D. 12 N
Explanation
For perpendicular vectors the resultant is the square root of (3 squared plus 4 squared), which is the square root of 25, giving 5 N. Adding the magnitudes to get 7 N would only be correct if the forces acted in the same direction, and 1 N is the result if they were exactly opposed. Every answer between 1 N and 7 N is possible depending on the angle.
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