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Forces in action

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Question 2

A meteorological sensor package is suspended in mid-air and kept in static equilibrium by three forces:

  • A vertical upward lift force LLL from a micro-balloon.
  • A horizontal drag force DDD due to a steady crosswind.
  • A tension force TTT from a tether line anchored to the ground. The tether line is inclined at an angle of 64∘64^\circ64∘ to the horizontal.

Since the sensor package is in static equilibrium, these three forces can be represented by a closed triangle of forces.

a.

What is the interior angle between the vector representing the lift force LLL and the vector representing the tension force TTT in this closed triangle of forces?

[2]
b.

How must the directional arrows for the three forces LLL, DDD, and TTT be oriented relative to one another along the perimeter of the triangle to correctly represent equilibrium?

[2]
Markscheme

Forces in action Questions

  1. A Level
  2. /Physics
  3. /Forces in action

10 exam-style questions on OCR A A Level Physics Forces in action, covering Dynamics, Motion with non-uniform acceleration, Equilibrium, and Density and pressure. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.

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