Abstract
Does a mass of 3 g added to a mass of 5 g always produce a total mass of 8 g? You may think this is a stupid question and say, ‘Of course it does’. You would be quite right. But does a force of 3 N added to a force of 5 N always produce a force of 8 N? What would be the result if they pulled on a body in opposite directions? Two forces, one of 5 N one way and the other of 3 N the other way are equivalent to one single force of 2 N in the first direction. The single force to which the other two added together are equivalent is termed the resultant force.
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© 1986 Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Keighley, H.J.P., McKim, F.R., Clark, A., Harrison, M.J. (1986). Vectors. In: Mastering Physics. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-08849-2_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-08849-2_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-42052-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-08849-2
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