- #1
Breadsticks
- 16
- 1
Homework Statement
:[/B]Two ropes in a vertical plane exert equal-magnitude forces on a hanging weight but pull with an angle of 86 degrees between them. What pull does each one exert if their resultant pull is 372N directly upward?
Homework Equations
:[/B]x-component= magnitude*cos(theta)
y-component= magnitude*sin(theta)
Cy=Ay+By
The Attempt at a Solution
:[/B]Vectors A, B, and resulting vector C are all in the same plane. If they pull equally, we see the angle between A or B and C is 43 degrees. The x-direction forces cancel, so we are left with the y-direction. If we let A=B, we can simplify. If we add vectors A and B together in the x-direction, we get C=Ay+By, and we can equate it with C=372N. So I have 372=2*magnitude*sin(theta). However, the equation the book uses is 372=2*magnitude*cos(theta). Why? Shouldn't it be sin because it's in the y-direction?