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Mechanics Equilibrium of Forces Components of a Force Force is a vector quantity. This means that it has its full effect in a particular direction but that it also has reduced effects in other directions. The effect of a force in a direction not along its own line of action is called a component of the force. The process of finding the magnitudes of the components of a force is called resolving the force into its components. Resolving a force into vertical and horizontal components
The force,
The magnitude of the vertical component of
The magnitude of the horizontal component of
The magnitude of the component of a force in a direction at 90° to its own line of action is therefore always equal to zero. This is why it is often useful to resolve a force into its vertical and horizontal components: these two components can then be considered as two independent forces.
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, in the diagram can be considered to be the sum of two forces as shown below. These forces are the vertical and horizontal components of 