Balancing Forces

Adding forces as arrows

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Forces add as vectors; in equilibrium they sum to zero.
• Two symmetric supports at angle $\theta$: $T = \frac{W}{2\sin\theta}$.
• Shallow angles make tensions far larger than the weight.

Steps

1. Forces add like arrows
2. Two tugs
3. Hanging a picture
4. A perfectly straight rope?
5. Holding a box on a slope
6. A traffic light