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I was looking at this exam question, and i had trouble figuring what it means.

This question is on mechanics.

Two horizontal forces X and Y act at a point O and are at right angles to each other..

I can't seem to understand how it is possible that there can be two horizontal forces acting on a point and are at right angles to each other.

Please explain.

dsa
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The question is set in 3D. Wlog one axis is vertical and the other two are horizontal.

Peter Taylor
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  • @dsa If it helps, you could conveniently assume that force $X$ acts along the x-axis and force $Y$ along y-axis, the vertical axis being the z-axis. – Srivatsan Nov 14 '11 at 22:27