SCALAR NOTATION

Given the coplanar forces F1, F2 and F3 below, find the resultant force FR = F1 + F2 + F3

 Step 1:

Resolve the forces into their rectangular components i.e.:

Step 2:

Determine the resultant force in the x-axis and y-axis independently i.e.:

Step 3:

Finally determine the magnitude of the resultant force FR and its direction θ :