Resolve a force using Triangle

StaticsDr Mohd Hazwan Yusof A simple yet affective tricks and tips is provided

What is: \"Resolve a force\" The separation of a single force or motion into two or more which have different directions.

Two ways to resolve a force

Two ways to resolve a force Let's look at method 1: Resolve a force using triangle.

Resolve a force using triangle Consider these two right triangle with the same shape but different size.

Resolve a force using triangle The hypotenuse of small right triangle is 5. The hypotenuse of large right triangle is 15.

Resolve a force using triangle Therefore, the hypotenuse of the large right triangle is 3 times larger than the small right triangle.

Resolve a force using triangle How to calculate the value of X and Y?

Resolve a force using triangle Simple! Just multiply the adjacent and opposite side with 3 (or 15/5) to get the value of X and Y.

Resolve a force using triangle Lets rearrange these equations.

Resolve a force using triangle As you can see, X and Y can be calculated using hypotenuse multiply with the small triangle's value.

Resolve a force using triangle When we want to calculate X, we choose the small triangle side value that has the same direction with X. Same direction

Resolve a force using triangle Same goes with Y. Same direction

Resolve a force using triangle If we replace the triangle with the force, the same method can be applied.

Resolve a force using triangle Therefore, and can be calculated using this principle:

Resolve a force using triangle You can watch this lecture video to increase your understanding.

End of lecture note Thank you!