Interpret force diagrams and sums of forces - Middle School Physical Science

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Question

Two people are pushing on an object. One person pushes the object 20 Newtons to the right. The other person pushes the object 50 Newtons to the left. What is the net force on the object?

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Answer

The answer is 30 Newtons to the left.

When we make diagrams or drawings of forces, we use vectors. A vector is an arrow that represents the magnitude and the direction of a force. The magnitude is how strong the force is, usually in Newtons, and the direction can be expressed in north, south, east, west, left, right, up, or down.

In order to evaluate the sum of forces in a free body diagram you have to add the vectors of forces both in the horizontal and in the vertical direction. The sum of forces in all directions is called the “net force.” When forces are going in opposite directions, they should be subtracted or the value of one of the forces should be given a negative to account for the direction.

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