Force
If the force toward the left was greater than the force toward the right, then the prevailing force would be toward the left. The strength of this prevailing force would be the difference between the strengths of the two separate forces. In this prevailing force is called the net force. Basically, the word net means total.
For example, if one person pushed the book with a force of 20 Newtons toward the left, and the other person pushed the book with a force of 18 Newtons toward the right, then that the net force would be 2 Newtons in size and directed toward the left.
The above situation has been one dimensional. When the only directions considered are to the left or to the right, then the problem can be thought of as operating on a horizontal number line, usually called the x-axis. Such situations occurring along one line are called one dimensional.
One dimensional problems may also be vertical. In our context here we might consider only forces that act up or down. That would be a one dimensional problem, also. It would be operating on a vertical number line, usually called the y-axis.
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