MathematicsNEB 2076 (old course)

a) State and prove triangle of forces. [4] OR Forces 1N, 2N, 3N act at a point in direction parallel to the sides of an equilateral triangle taken in order. Find their resultant. b) A stone is…

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a) State and prove triangle of forces. [4] OR Forces 1N, 2N, 3N act at a point in direction parallel to the sides of an equilateral triangle taken in order. Find their resultant. b) A stone is dropped from the top of a tower 200 m high and at the same time another is projected vertically upwards from the ground with a velocity . Find where and when the two will meet? () [4]

Answer

ABC1 N2 N3 N120°120°120°
Equilateral triangle showing directions of forces 1 N, 2 N, and 3 N acting at a point (120° apart).

a) State and Prove Triangle of Forces

-3-2-1123-3-2-1123xy1 N (x-axis)O (Origin)1 N2 N3 N
Resultant of forces 1 N, 2 N, and 3 N at 120° angles (vector addition).

Statement:

If three forces acting at a point are represented in magnitude and direction by the sides of a triangle taken in order, then the resultant of the three forces is zero. This is known as the Triangle of Forces.

Proof:

Let three forces act at a point such that they can be represented by the sides of a triangle taken in order.

  1. Representation of Forces:

    • Let be represented by .
    • Let be represented by .
    • Let be represented by .
  2. Vector Addition:

    • The resultant of and is:
    • Now, add (which is ):
    • Thus, the resultant of all three forces is zero.
  3. Conclusion:

    • Since the resultant is zero, the three forces are in equilibrium.
    • This proves the Triangle of Forces theorem.

OR

Forces Acting at a Point in an Equilateral Triangle

Given:

  • Three forces act at a point in directions parallel to the sides of an equilateral triangle taken in order.

Solution:

  1. Representation:

    • Let the forces be represented by vectors along the sides of an equilateral triangle.
    • Since the triangle is equilateral, the angle between any two forces is .
  2. Resultant Calculation:

    • Let along the positive x-axis.
    • at from .
    • at from .
  3. Resolve Forces into Components:

  4. Sum of Components:

    • -component:
    • -component:
  5. Resultant Magnitude:

    • The resultant acts along the negative x-axis.

Final Answer: The resultant force is 1.5 N in the direction opposite to the 1 N force.


b) Meeting Point of Two Stones

Given:

  • A stone is dropped from a tower of height .
  • Another stone is projected vertically upwards from the ground with .
  • .
0.511.522.533.544.5520406080100120140160180200xyStone A startsStone B startsMeeting point (4 s)
Height vs. time graph for both stones (g = 9.8 m/s²).
90°200 m78.4 mPABTower
Meeting point of two stones at 78.4 m height after 4 seconds (g = 9.8 m/s²).

Solution:

  1. Equations of Motion:

    • For the dropped stone (from rest):
    • For the projected stone (upwards):
  2. Condition for Meeting:

    • The sum of distances covered by both stones must equal the height of the tower:
  3. Height at Meeting Point:

    • Substitute into :
    • Thus, the stones meet at a height of 78.4 m from the ground after 4 seconds.

Final Answer: The stones meet after 4 seconds at a height of 78.4 m from the ground.

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