3 A small steel ball B is attracted by two bar magnets. One magnet exerts a force of \( 0,9 \mathrm{~N} \) to the west and the other magnet exerts a force of \( 1,2 \mathrm{~N} \) to the south. The steel ball does not move. 3.1 Draw a free body diagram of the forces acting at \( B \). 3.2 Make a rough sketch of the vector diagram and use this to calculate the resultant force on the steel ball. 3.3 What is the magnitude and direction of the force which keeps the steel ball from moviry? \( \qquad \) 14
Real Tutor Solution
Answer
Solution
Reviewed and approved by the UpStudy tutoring team
The Deep Dive
To understand the situation with the small steel ball being attracted by two magnets, let’s dive into the forces at play! When you draw a free body diagram for the steel ball, you'll depict two arrows: one pointing west with a force of \(0.9 \, \text{N}\) and another pointing south with a force of \(1.2 \, \text{N}\). The arrows will indicate the direction of the forces acting on the ball, highlighting how they balance each other out to keep the ball stationary. For the vector diagram, you can visualize the two forces as perpendicular vectors meeting at the origin. The westward force becomes the horizontal vector and the southward force becomes the vertical vector. To find the resultant force, you apply the Pythagorean theorem: \[ R = \sqrt{(0.9^2 + 1.2^2)} = \sqrt{(0.81 + 1.44)} = \sqrt{2.25} = 1.5 \, \text{N}. \] The direction can be found using trigonometry, specifically the tangent function, leading to an angle that describes the resultant's direction relative to the west. The force that keeps the steel ball from moving is simply the resultant of the forces exerted by the two magnets combined, which is \(1.5 \, \text{N}\) at a specific angle relative to the west and south axes. This equilibrium of forces demonstrates how balanced forces work, keeping our steel ball perfectly still!