Neco 2025 Physics Question 2

Practice practical question 2 from the 2025 Neco Physics examination. This question covers Scalars and Vectors, Resultant of forces, Vector addition, Error analysis .

Neco 2025 Physics Practical
Topics: Scalars and Vectors Resultant of forces Vector addition Error analysis
Question 2 NECO • 2025 • PHYSICS • practical

A force table is used to determine the resultant of two known forces. The table has a scale of 1 cm = 1 N. The following forces are applied: - Force F₁: magnitude 5 N, direction 30° measured anticlockwise from the positive x‑axis. - Force F₂: magnitude 8 N, direction 120° measured anticlockwise from the positive x‑axis. The table is then adjusted until equilibrium is achieved by adding a third force (the balancing force). The magnitude and direction of this balancing force are recorded as 9.2 N at 78°. Answer the questions below using the data provided.

Question Parts

( a )
Resolve each of the two given forces into its horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components (in newtons, to two decimal places).
( b )
Using the components from part (a), calculate the theoretical magnitude and direction of the resultant of F₁ and F₂. Express the magnitude to two decimal places and the direction to the nearest degree.
( c )
The balancing force recorded from the force table is 9.2 N at 78°. Compare this experimental resultant with the theoretical value obtained in part (b) by calculating the percentage difference in magnitude.
( d )
State the difference in direction between the theoretical and experimental results and comment on whether this discrepancy is acceptable for a typical school‑level experiment.
( e )
Suggest two possible sources of experimental error that could account for the observed differences and propose a method to minimise each error.

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About This Question

This is Neco 2025 Physics Question 2. It is one of the practical questions from the 2025 Neco Physics examination.

The question covers Scalars and Vectors, Resultant of forces, Vector addition, Error analysis .

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