Resultant force
A resultant force is produced when two forces combine. A resultant is only when the component forces are unequal or unbalanced.
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2 Forces in opposite directions 3 Forces at Angles less than 180° |
Forces in the same direction
When force A and force B act upon an object in the same direction, the resultant force (C) is equal to A + B.
Forces in opposite directions
When force A and force B act upon an object in opposite directions, the resultant force (C) is equal to the absolute value of the difference between A and B: |A - B|
Forces at Angles less than 180°
A parallelogram of force showing component forces and resultant force. The scale given is a sample, but vector quantities such as force require a scale. The formula for the resultant force geometrically finds the hypotenuse of the two triangles created by the diagonal (resultant force).
