King Abdullah II School of Engineering

Basic Sciences Department

PHYSICS LAB.
(20150)
Experiment No. 3
Manual: Force Addition
 PRE–LABORATORY ASSIGNMENT
1. Scalars are physical quantities that can be fully described by their……………….

2. A vector quantity is characterized by both...............................................

3. Categorize each of the following physical quantities as either vectors or scalars:

(a) Volume
(b) Force
(c) Density
(d) Velocity
(e) Acceleration

Answer Questions 4-7 using Figure 1 below.

4. If F1 represents a force vector with a magnitude of 30 N and F2 represents a force vector with
a magnitude of 40 N, acting in the directions shown in Figure 1, determine the magnitude and
direction of the resultant obtained by vector addition using the analytical method. Show your
calculations.

Magnitude = __________ N, Direction (relative to the x-axis) = _________ degrees.

5. What is the equilibrium force required to counterbalance the resultant force of vectors F1 and
F2 that you calculated in Question 4?
Magnitude = ___________ N, Direction (relative to the x-axis) = ________ degrees
 Figure 1: Addition of Two Force Vectors. The scale is 1.00 cm = 10.0 N.

6. Utilize the parallelogram graphical method to construct the resultant vector FR for the
addition of F1 and F2. Measure the length of the resultant vector and record it below. Specify
the force represented by this length. Measure the angle that the resultant makes with the x-
axis using a protractor.

Resultant vector length = cm

Force represented by this length = N
Direction of resultant relative to x-
Experiment 3: Force Addition
Objectives
1) Show how to combine multiple vectors to create a resultant vector using a force table.

2) Show how the resultant of several vectors is related to the equilibrium of those vectors.

3) Explain and practice both graphical and analytical methods for adding vectors.

Equipment List
• Force table equipped with pulleys, rings, and strings
• Weight hangers and slotted masses
• Protractor and compass

Theory
Scalars represent physical quantities with magnitude only, such as temperature, volume,
mass, and time. On the other hand, vectors possess both magnitude and direction, like spatial
displacement, velocity, and force.
When dealing with multiple forces acting on an object, the resultant force is the single force
that accounts for the combined effect of all applied forces. Vector addition is a method used
to determine this resultant force.
Graphical vector addition is one approach. In Figure 1(a), two vectors, F1 (20 N) and F2 (30
N), are depicted. With a scale of 1 cm = 10 N, F1 and F2 are represented by segments 2 cm
and 3 cm long, respectively. Despite operating at the same location, these forces have
different directions (60°). Figure 1(b) illustrates parallelogram addition. Two parallel lines,
each with the length of a vector, are drawn. By connecting the tails of F1 and F2 to the
opposite corner of the parallelogram formed by these lines, the resultant vector FR is
obtained. In Figure 1(b), FR measures 4.35 cm in length and forms an angle of approximately
37° with F1. Considering the scale, FR equals 43.5 N and points in a direction 37° away from
F1.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 1: Parallelogram-triangle vector addition illustration.
In the polygon technique of graphical vector addition, each vector is scaled and drawn with
its tail starting at the head of the previous vector. The resultant vector is then represented by
the line drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the final vector. When only two
vectors are involved, this technique simplifies into the triangle method, depicted in Figure
1(c).

To draw the second vector, F2, at a right angle to the first vector, F1, a line is extended in the
direction of F1, and F2 is constructed relative to it. In Figure 1(c), the resultant vector, FR, has
a length of 4.35 cm (equivalent to 43.5 N) and forms an angle of 37° with respect to F1.

Figure 2 shows the polygon approach for three vectors. Vector F1 is drawn, followed by F2 at
α, and F3 at β relative to F2. FR is the vector between F1's tail and F3's head.
The analytical method of vector addition utilizes trigonometry to represent each vector as its
components projected onto rectangular coordinate axes, as illustrated in Figure 3. Here,
|F|cosθ and |F|sinθ represent the resolved components of a vector |F| with respect to the x and
y axes, respectively.

In the analytical approach for multiple vectors, each vector is broken down into its
components. The net components along each axis are then calculated by algebraically adding
the components of all vectors. Subsequently, the magnitude of the resultant vector is
determined using the Pythagorean Theorem from these perpendicular components. Figure 4
illustrates this process with three vectors, F1, F2, and F3.

(a) (b)

Figure 2: Illustration of vector addition using polygons

.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 3: Illustration of vector resolution using analytical methods.

(a) (b)

Figure 4: Example demonstrating analytical vector addition.

Taking the algebraic total of each component of the three vectors and adding them yields the
resultant and its direction:

𝐹Rx = 𝐹1x + 𝐹2x + 𝐹3x = 10.0cos⁡(0∘ ) + 15.0cos⁡(30∘ ) + 12.0cos⁡(135∘ ) = 14.5

𝐹Ry = 𝐹1y + 𝐹2y + 𝐹3y = 10.0sin⁡(0∘ ) + 15.0sin⁡(30∘ ) + 12.0sin⁡(135∘ ) = 16.0
2
|𝐹𝑅 | = 𝐹𝑅 = √(𝐹𝑅𝑥 )2 + (𝐹𝑅𝑦 ) = √(14.5)2 + (16.0)2 = 21.6
𝜃 = arctan⁡(𝐹Ry /𝐹Rx ) = arctan⁡(16.0/14.5) = arctan⁡(1.10) = 47.7∘

The force table depicted in Figure 5 illustrates the gravitational force acting on masses
suspended from a ring via threads over pulleys. Each mass exerts its force on a distinct
pulley, adjustable around a circular plate. Experimentally, the system reaches equilibrium
when a single force, equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the combined applied
forces, balances them out. This balancing force is known as the equilibrant, and its magnitude
matches that of the resultant force, but with a 180-degree difference in direction.
Figure 5: Force table.
Experimental Procedure
Case1. Two Applied Forces
1. Position a pulley at the 20-degree mark on the force table and suspend a total mass of
0.1 kg (including the mass holder) from the string. Calculate the force exerted by this
mass in Newtons (N) using the gravitational acceleration constant g = 9.8 m/s2. Round
your answer to three significant figures and record it as F1 in Data Table 1.

2. Position a second pulley at the 90-degree mark on the force table and suspend a total
mass of 0.2 kg from the string. Calculate the force exerted by this mass and record it
as F2 in Data Table 1.

3. Determine, through trial and error, the magnitude of mass needed and the angle at
which it must be placed for the ring to be centered on the force table. Ensure that the
ring is in equilibrium by gently jiggling it. Attach all strings to the ring so that they
align along a line passing through the center of the ring. Record the mass value
required for equilibrium in Data Table 1 under the row labeled Equilibrant FE1.

4. Calculate the force exerted by the experimentally determined mass and record its
magnitude and direction as the equilibrant force FE1 in Data Table 1.

5. The resultant force FR1 has the same magnitude as FE1 but opposite direction (180
degrees from FE1). Record the magnitude, mass equivalent, and direction of FR1 in
Data Table 1 under the row labeled Resultant FR1.

Case 2. Three Applied Forces

1. Position a pulley at 30 degrees with a mass of 0.15 kg suspended from it, another at
100 degrees with a mass of 0.2 kg, and a third at 145 degrees with a mass of 0.1 kg.

2. Calculate the force exerted by each of these masses and record them as F3, F4, and F5
in Data Table 2.

3. Determine the equilibrant force and the resultant force using the same procedure
outlined in Case 1, Steps 3 through 5. Record the magnitudes of these forces, the
corresponding mass values, and their directions in Data Table 2 under the rows
labeled FE2 and FR2.
Calculations
Case1. Two Applied Forces
1. Use scaled graphical construction to find the resultant of the two applied forces (F1
and F2) using the parallelogram method. Construct vectors representing F1 and F2 with
scaled length and direction using a ruler and protractor. Use a convenient scale, such
as 1 cm = 0.1 N. Ensure that all directions are relative to the force table. Determine
the magnitude and direction of the resultant from the graphical solution and record
them in the appropriate section of Calculations Table 1.

2. Utilize trigonometry to calculate the components of F1 and F2 and record them in the
analytical solution portion of Calculations Table 1. Add the components algebraically
and determine the magnitude of the resultant using the Pythagorean Theorem.
Calculate the angle of the resultant from the arc tangent of the components. Record
these results in Calculations Table 1.

3. Calculate the percentage error of the magnitude of the experimental value of FR

compared to the analytical solution for FR. Also, compute the percentage error of the
magnitude of the graphical solution for FR compared to the analytical solution for FR.
For each of these comparisons, calculate the magnitude of the difference in the angle.
Record all values in Calculations Table 1.

Case 2. Three Applied Forces

1. Employ the polygon scaled graphical construction method to determine the resultant
of the three applied forces. After constructing vectors representing each force with
scaled length and direction, use a ruler and protractor to complete the polygon.
Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant from your graphical solution
and record them in Calculations Table 2.

2. Utilize trigonometry to calculate the components of all three forces, as well as the
components of the resultant. Compute the magnitude and direction of the resultant
using these components and record all relevant values in Calculations Table 2.

3. Perform error calculations following the same procedure as described in Step 3 of Part
1. Calculate the percentage error of the magnitude of the experimental value of the
resultant compared to the analytical solution for the resultant. Also, determine the
percentage error of the magnitude of the graphical solution for the resultant compared
to the analytical solution. Record these values, along with the magnitude of the
difference in the angle, in Calculations Table 2.