A 175-pound force and a 230-pound force are acting on the same point in directions that differ by 42°.

What is the angle that the resultant makes with
the 175-pound force?

A. 22°
B. 24°
C. 32°
D. 18°

1 answer

let the 175-lb force point in the x direction. Then the 230-lb force acts at an angle θ = 42°.

The two forces form adjacent sides of a parallelogram, with diagonal reaching to

(175+230cos42°,230sin42°) = (346,154)
The angle φ of the diagonal is found using

tan φ = 154/346, so
φ = 24°