What is the vertical component of a force when pushing a lawn mower with 60 N at a 30-degree angle?

To find the vertical component of a force when a lawn mower is being pushed at an angle, one can use basic trigonometric principles. The vertical component of the force can be calculated using the sine function, which relates the angle of the force to its vertical component.

In this scenario, you have a force of 60 N being applied at a 30-degree angle. The vertical component (Fy) can be calculated using the formula:

[

Fy = F \sin(\theta)

]

where

F is the total force (60 N),

θ is the angle (30 degrees), and

sin(30 degrees) equals 0.5.

Plugging in the numbers:

[

Fy = 60 N \cdot \sin(30^\circ) = 60 N \cdot 0.5 = 30 N

]

Thus, the vertical component of the force exerted while pushing the lawn mower is indeed 30 N. The use of the sine function is appropriate here because it helps isolate the vertical component of a force acting at an angle, confirming that the answer is accurate reflects the nature of vector components in physics.