Net External Force in a Direction

[Smiley.Teddy]

Homework Statement

A crate is pulled to the right with a force of 92.3 N, to the left with a force of 116.8 N, upward with a force of 508.8 N, and downward with a force of 248. 6 N
What is the net external force in the x direction? Answer in units of N

Homework Equations

When I solved for the Y-Direction I simply subtracted the upward force from the downward force and got the answer correct. I don't know what to do for the x-direction.

The Attempt at a Solution

X direction: I attempted these:
-92.3N-116.8N = -209.1
116.8N-92.3N = 24.5
116.8N^2+92.3N^2 and then square root that answer to get = 148. 867...

Please help me understand what it is that I'm doing wrong. Thank you. =]

 

[tiny-tim]

Welcome to PF!

Hi Smiley.Teddy ! Welcome to PF!

A crate is pulled to the right with a force of 92.3 N, to the left with a force of 116.8 N, upward with a force of 508.8 N, and downward with a force of 248. 6 N
What is the net external force in the x direction? Answer in units of N
…
When I solved for the Y-Direction I simply subtracted the upward force from the downward force and got the answer correct. I don't know what to do for the x-direction.

(why did you think they might be different? )

For the x-direction, just do exactly what you did for the y-direction.

 

[thomate1]

I would like to clarify that the net external force in a specific direction is the vector sum of all the external forces acting on an object in that direction. This means that we need to take into account both the magnitude and direction of each force.

In this case, we have four forces acting on the crate in the x-direction: 92.3 N to the right, 116.8 N to the left, 508.8 N upward, and 248.6 N downward. To find the net external force in the x-direction, we need to add the forces to the right and subtract the forces to the left:

Net external force in the x-direction = 92.3 N - 116.8 N = -24.5 N

Note that the negative sign indicates that the net external force is acting to the left. This means that the forces to the left are greater than the forces to the right, resulting in a net force in the opposite direction.

I hope this helps clarify the concept of net external force in a specific direction. Keep in mind that it is important to consider both the magnitude and direction of each force when calculating the net external force.