Final answer:
To find the magnitude and direction of a force, calculate the resultant vector's magnitude using the Pythagorean theorem and determine its angle using the arctangent function with its horizontal and vertical components.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the magnitude and direction of an anchoring force, or any other vector quantity, you can use the components of the vector. The magnitude of the resultant vector is found by taking the square root of the sum of the squares of its horizontal and vertical components (Ax and Ay).
This is expressed as Fnet = √(Ax² + Ay²). To find the direction, you would use the arctangent function to calculate the angle of the vector with respect to the horizontal axis, which is often represented as θ = tan⁻¹(Ay/Ax). These principles apply to various physical scenarios, such as the net force on an ice skater, the total force applied by tugboats on a barge, or any other situation where forces are applied in different directions.