Newton's First Law
A lantern of mass m is suspended by a string that is tied to two other strings, as shown
in the figure below. The free-body diagram shows the forces exerted by the three
strings on the knot.
F₂
Fy
0₂
¥
F₁
1. In terms of F₁, F2, and F3, what is the net force acting on the knot?
(Hint: The lantern is in equilibrium.)
2. Find the magnitudes of the x and y components for each force acting on the knot.
(Assume the positive directions are to the right and up.)
String 1 (F₁)
x component
y component
String 2 (F₂)
x component
y component
String 3 (F3)
x component
y component
3. In terms of F1, F2, and F3, what is the magnitude of the net force acting on the
knot in the x direction? in the y direction?
Fx net=
Fynet
=
. Assume that 8₁ = 30°, ₂ = 60°, and the mass of the lantern is 2.1 kg. Find,
F1, F2 and F3.
F₁=
F₂=
F3 =