In which situation is the magnitude of the total force greater than the magnitude of each of the individual forces?
1. Two people stand on the same side of a large box. One pushes, and the other pulls with the same amount of force.
2. Four people stand on each side of a large box. All four people push the box with the same amount of force.
3. Four people stand on each side of a large box. All four people pull the box with the same amount of force.
4. Two people stand on opposite sides of a large box. One pushes, and the other pulls with the same amount of force.
1 answer
The situation in which the magnitude of the total force is greater than the magnitude of each of the individual forces is situation number 4. In this situation, the two forces are acting in opposite directions and can be added together to find the total force, which will be greater than the magnitude of either individual force.
3 answers