Application:Physics

Application: Physics

Trigonometry can be found in many areas of science, including physics. Recall that the Unit Circle is helpful in finding common trigonometric identities, and therefore, the Unit Circle can sometimes be used in physics. In this example, we see a father pulling his children with a rope attached to a sled. If we can know that there is 50 N **of force on the rope, we can break it down even further and specify the vertical force and horizontal force working on the rope.

** A newton is the SI (International System of Units) used for magnitude, or strength, of a force

Figure 6: Using trigonometry to resolve forces

Looking at Figure 6b and applying the trigonometry from earlier in this section, we can say

                            AND                              

Rearranging these two equations gives

      AND                        

The horizontal component of the force is approximately 43.30 N.

The vertical component of the force is 25 N.