Net Force - Total Force

Total Force

The sum of forces acting on a particle is called the total force or the net force. The net force is a single force that replaces the effect of the original forces on the particle's motion. It gives the particle the same acceleration as all those actual forces together as described by the Newton's second law of motion.

Force is a vector quantity, which means that it has a magnitude and a direction, and it is usually denoted using boldface such as F or by using an arrow over the symbol, such as .

Graphically a force is represented as line segment from its point of application A to a point B which defines its direction and magnitude. The length of the segment AB represents the magnitude of the force.

Vector calculus was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, however, the parallelogram rule for addition of forces is said to date from the ancient times, and it is explicitly noted by Galileo and Newton.

The diagram shows the addition of the forces and . The sum of the two forces is drawn as the diagonal of a parallelogram defined by the two forces.

Forces applied to an extended body can have different points of application. Forces are bound vectors and can be added only if they are applied at the same point. The net force obtained from all the forces acting on a body will not preserve its motion unless they are applied at the same point and the appropriate torque associated with the new point of application is determined. The net force on a body applied at a single point with the appropriate torque is known as the resultant force and torque.