Part E Two forces, of magnitude 4N4N and 10N10N, are applied to an object. The relative direction of the forces is unknown. The net force acting on the object . Check all that apply.

A.) cannot be equal to 5N

Explanation:

Forces are vectors: therefore, when two forces act together on the same object, in order to find the resultant force we must apply the rule of additions for vectors.

Therefore, given two forces , the magnitude of the resultant force can have:

- A minimum value of , if the two forces have opposite direction

- A maximum value of , if the two forces have same direction

In this problem, the two forces that we have are

Therefore, the minimum and maximum magnitude of the net force is

So the correct statement is

A.) cannot be equal to 5N

Other statements are wrong because:

B.) cannot be equal to 10N --> 10 N is between the interval 6-14 N

C.) cannot be directed the same way as the force of 10N --> the net force has the same direction of the 10 N force, if also the 4N force has the same direction

D.) must be greater than 10N  --> the net force can have up to a magnitude of 14 N

increase masses, decrease separation