E x p e r i m e n t No.

Concurrent Forces

I. Objective:
To study and check experimentally the graphical and analytical
methods of determining the resultant of several concurrent forces.

II. Apparatus, Instruments and Materials needed:

1. Force frame
2. 2-Wooden stands
3. 3-Pulleys
4. 5-Nails (1.5”)
5. Set of weights
6. String
7. Meter stick
8. Protractor, ruler and pencil
III. Set-up:
IV. Discussion:
The most common example of a vector quantity is force. Its
magnitude and direction must be specified completely. The vectors are
represented by arrows; such arrows drawn follow the direction of the
vector quantity and are scaled to show their magnitude.
There are two methods of adding vectors, the graphical and the
analytical. Under the graphical method, two other methods the
parallelogram and the triangular methods are used for finding the sum of
two vectors only, while for more than two vectors, the polygon method
is used.
The Graphical methods of finding the vector sum of two or more
vectors:
A. Parallelogram Method:

1. Choose a suitable scale.

2. Draw the two arrows to scale connecting them tail to tail.
3. Complete the parallelogram by drawing lines parallel to each
of the arrows until they intersect.
4. The diagonal line drawn from the tails of the two arrows to
the point of intersection is the resultant. By scaling, its
magnitude is obtained and by measuring the angle that it
makes with the reference line, it direction is obtained.

B. Triangular/Polygon Method:

1. Choose a suitable scale.

 2. Draw the arrows to scale connecting them from tip to tail
thus, forming an open polygon.
3. The arrow drawn from the tail of the first arrow to the tip of
the last arrow is the resultant.

The analytical solution of adding vectors is to draw all the

vectors in a set of coordinate axes indicating the direction of each
vector. Each vector is broken into two components, the X-
component and the Y-component. The components of the vectors
lying along one axis can be added algebraically. Thus, all the
vectors can be reduced to two that are perpendicular to each other.
The resultant vector is then computed by the use of the
Pythagorean Theorem. If the sum of both the horizontal and
vertical components is zero, the system is said to be in equilibrium
or its resultant is zero.

V. Procedure:
A. Component forces:
1. Suspend two weights on a string passing through a pulley
to a ring and hang a third weight directly from the ring.
2. Naming the downward force W and the other two as forces
A and B, measure with a protractor the angles of force A and force
B make with force W.
3. Draw graphically these forces, indicate the scale used and
add forces A and B using the triangular and parallelogram
methods.
 4. Measure the resultant and compare with W. Determine the
error and the percentage error.
Repeat the above procedure using different weights.

C. Resolution of Concurrent Forces:

1. Suspend this time, three weights through pulleys to a ring
and hang a 4th weight directly from a ring. Name the forces
through pulleys A, B and C, and the last W. Note and
record their values.
2. Measure the angles of each of the forces with respect to W
and make a diagram of the forces. Find the horizontal
components of forces A, B and C analytically and get their
sum. What should the sum be equal to? _____ Why?
________________________________________.
3. Find the vertical components of forces A, B and C
analytically also and get their sum. How is the sum
compared with W? ________________. Why?
_____________________________.
4. Add the forces A, B, C and W using the polygon method.
What can you say about the resulting polygon?
__________________________________. Why?
____________________________________________.

Repeat the above procedure using different weights.

Experiment No. 3 (Concurrent Forces) Rating: ___________
Name: ________________________________Group No. __________
Course/Year and Section: ____________________

VI. Data and Results:

A. Composition of Forces: Parallelogram and Triangular methods
Trial FA FB θA θB RP RT W %EP %ET
1
2

B. 1. Resolution of Forces: Polygon Method

Trial FA FB FC θA θB θC RP W %EP
1
2

2. Resolution of Forces: Analytical Method

Trial FA FB FC θA θB θC ƩFx ƩFy RA W %EA

1
2
VII. Computations and Diagrams:
VIII. Exercise Problems: Concurrent Forces

1. A man walks eastward for 5 km and then northward for 10 km. How far is
she from her starting point? If she walked directly to her destination, in what
direction would she had headed?

2. A man in a car on a level road sees an airplane flying in the same direction
and is climbing at an angle of 30o above the horizontal. By driving at
110km/hr, he was able to stay directly below the airplane. Find the
airplane’s velocity.

3. Using the component method, find the magnitude and direction of the
resultant of a 5-N force that acts at an angle of 37 o clockwise from the +X
axis, a 3-N force that acts at an angle of 180 o clockwise from the +X axis
and a 7-N force that acts at an angle of 225 o clockwise from the +X axis.
Compare your answer using the polygon method. Use scale 1cm=2N