Question

what do you mean by component of force

Answer 1

Any force can be replaced by two forces, acting in different directions. The directions chosen are normally at right angles to each other. If x and y coordinates are chosen, with the force acting at the origin, with the force being in the xy plane, and the force F makes an angle A with the x axis, then the component of F in the x direction (its x component) is F(x) = iF cos A, where i is the unit vector in the x direction. The y component, F(y) = jF sin A, where j is the unit vector in the y direction. The point behind all this is that we can now replace F with its two components, since F = F(x) + F(y).

If we resolve all of the forces acting on an object in this way, then we are left only with forces acting in the same two directions, at right angles to each other. In this form, the forces are much easier to analyze.


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