# Math Help - 3d force vector problem

1. ## 3d force vector problem

ssm The drawing shows a force vector that has a magnitude of 500 newtons. It lies at = 68° from the positive z axis, and = 35° from the positive x axis.

(a) Find the x component of the vector .
187 m

(b) Find the y component of the vector .
464 m

(c) Find the z component of the vector .
187 m

Can someone help me get started on the first two parts of this problem? I'm not sure how to break up the components.

2. Originally Posted by juventinoalex
The drawing shows a force vector that has a magnitude of 500 newtons. It lies at = 68° from the positive z axis, and = 35° from the positive x axis.

(a) Find the x component of the vector .
187 m

(b) Find the y component of the vector .
464 m

(c) Find the z component of the vector .
187 m

Can someone help me get started on the first two parts of this problem? I'm not sure how to break up the components.
What you need to know is basically that the adjacent leg in a right triangle is hypotenuse times cosine of the angle and that the opposite leg is hypotenuse times sine of the angle. - It's as easy as that.
This means, for example, that the length of the orthogonal projection of F onto the xy-plane has length $F\cdot\sin(\alpha)$. You get the length of the projections of F onto the x- and y-axis by multiplying that with $\cos(\beta)$, and $\sin(\beta)$, respectively.

3. Wow. That helped so much. Thanks 10^9 times