To find the net force when you have forces acting in opposite directions, you simply subtract the smaller force from the larger force and then determine the direction of the resultant force.
In this case, you have:
- 8 N to the left
- 4 N to the right
Since the left direction is typically considered negative and the right direction positive, we can represent these forces as:
- Force to the left: -8 N
- Force to the right: +4 N
Now, we can calculate the net force:
\[ \text{Net Force} = (-8 , \text{N}) + (4 , \text{N}) = -4 , \text{N} \]
The negative sign indicates that the net force is 4 N to the left.
So, the net force is 4 N to the left.