Asked by Julie
Which best explains parallel forces?
left and right forces that can be added together
addition of parallel forces that cannot result in a negative force
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
Neither statement is fully correct.
Correct explanation: parallel forces are forces whose lines of action are parallel (they may point in the same or opposite directions). They are added vectorially (or algebraically if you choose a sign convention). That means you assign a positive sign to one direction, negative to the opposite, then add magnitudes. The resultant can be positive or negative (indicating direction).
Examples:
- 5 N to the right and 3 N to the right → resultant = 8 N to the right.
- 5 N to the right and 8 N to the left → resultant = 3 N to the left (or −3 N if right is taken positive).
Correct explanation: parallel forces are forces whose lines of action are parallel (they may point in the same or opposite directions). They are added vectorially (or algebraically if you choose a sign convention). That means you assign a positive sign to one direction, negative to the opposite, then add magnitudes. The resultant can be positive or negative (indicating direction).
Examples:
- 5 N to the right and 3 N to the right → resultant = 8 N to the right.
- 5 N to the right and 8 N to the left → resultant = 3 N to the left (or −3 N if right is taken positive).
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