Question

how do you calculate net force

Answer 1

Draw a quick sketch of the object.Draw an arrow showing every force acting on the object.To calculate the net force, add any vectors acting on the same axis (x and y), making sure to pay attention to the directions.

Answer 2

This is quite similar to adding positive and negative numbers. For example, if there is a force acting on an object and it is 5 Newton on the left, we could see this as +5 to the left. If at the same time there is a 5 N force to the right acting on that same object, this would be like subtracting 5 to the right. 5 - 5 = 0, so we have zero net force. The forces cancel each other out.