Question

two horses on opposite sides of a narrow stream are pulling a barge along the stream. Each horse pulls with a force of 720N. The ropes from the horses to a common point on the front of the barge from an angle of 60 degrees with each other. What is the resultant force exerted by the two horses?

Answer 1

Resolve the forces into two directions. One being the direction of the stream, call that the x-direction; and the other being perpendicular to it, the y-direction.

Can you draw a diagram of the situation?

Answer 2

Right, so each rope makes an angle of 30 degrees to the x-direction. Hence if T is the tension and force in each rope, the component of that force of one rope in the x-direction is
\[ F_x = T \cos(30) = (720).(\sqrt{3}/2) = ... \]

Answer 3

Now see how to finish this problem?

Answer 4

ya, is it 1.225?

Answer 5

No. What is the x component of the force from one of the horses?

Answer 6

uhm I don't really understand

Answer 7

oh is it 881.816?