An object is pulled northward by a force of 10 N and at the same time another force of 15N pulls it southward. The magnitude of the resultant force on the object is

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: An object is pulled northward by a force of 10 N and at the same time another force of 15 N pulls it southward. The magnitude of the resultant force on the object is

Option-by-option analysis:

Option A: 150 N. This value is far from the scenario and does not reflect combining two forces in opposite directions. It would imply additive effects without considering direction, which is incorrect for vectors that oppose each other.

Option B: 0 N. This would be the correct outcome only if the two opposing forces were equal in magnitude. Here, the forces are 10 N and 15 N, so the net effect is not cancellation but a leftover of 5 N toward the stronger force.

Option C: 25 N. This would occur if the two forces acted in the same direction and were added in magnitude. Since they act in opposite directions, you cannot simply add them to obtain 25 N.

Option D: 5 N. This corresponds to subtracting the smaller force from the larger one when forces are opposite in direction. The net force is 15 N south minus 10 N north, giving a 5 N resultant toward the south (the direction follows the larger force).

Conceptual reasoning:
- Treat the forces as vectors along a straight line with north as positive and south as negative (or vice versa).
- When vectors oppose each other, you subtract the smaller magnitude from the larger to get the resultant magnitude, and the direction follows the larger force.
- In this case, the southward force (15 N) dominates over the northward force (10 N) by 5 N, so the resultant has magnitude 5 N in the southward direction.

Common misconceptions addressed:
- Thinking the magnitudes should simply add (leading to 25 N) ignores the opposing directions.
- Thinking the resultant is zero assumes equal opposing forces; here they’re not equal.
- Selecting 150 N reflects adding magnitudes without regard to direction, which is not appropriate for vectors.

Summary alignment:
- The only option that matches the vector subtraction of opposite directions with the given magnitudes is 5 N, directed toward the stronger, southward force.

An object is pulled northward by a force of 10 N and at the same time another force of 15N pulls it southward. The magnitude of the resultant force on the object is Single choice

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