Find the net force from lift, drag and weight vectors on a golf ball.

In this vector addition by components problem, we are given lift, drag and weight vectors on a golf ball, and we find the net force using component-wise vector addition.

Find the components of the force vectors: To start things out, we have to use a bit of geometry to determine the missing angles in the force diagram. Next, we resolve the force vectors into components.

Find the net x and y components of the vector sum: Now we can compute the net x component of the total force and the net y component of the total force by simply adding the signed components of each participant vector.

Use the components to express the net force in polar form: Finally, we visualize the net force in a right triangle, using the net x component as the horizontal leg and the net y component as the vertical leg. Applying the Pythagorean theorem and the inverse tangent, we compute the magnitude of the net force and the angle of the net force vector relative to the horizontal.