To determine whether two forces are pulling at right angles to each other, we first need to confirm that they can be represented as the legs of a right triangle. In this case, we have \( a = 1.6 \) and \( b = 5.8 \).
To find the hypotenuse \( c \) of the right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem:
\[ c = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2} \]
Substituting the given values:
\[ c = \sqrt{(1.6)^2 + (5.8)^2} \]
Calculating the squares:
\[ (1.6)^2 = 2.56 \] \[ (5.8)^2 = 33.64 \]
Next, add these squares together:
\[ a^2 + b^2 = 2.56 + 33.64 = 36.20 \]
Now, take the square root of the total:
\[ c = \sqrt{36.20} \approx 6.0 \]
Thus, the hypotenuse \( c \) is approximately 6.0 when rounded to the nearest tenth.
Since the legs \( a \) and \( b \) are perpendicular to each other, the forces are indeed pulling at right angles to each other.