Editing Resultant force (section)

{{Short description|Single force representing the combination of all forces acting on a physical body}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Rezultanta.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Graphical placing of the resultant force]]

In [[physics]] and [[engineering]], a '''resultant force''' is the single [[force]] and associated [[torque]] obtained by combining a system of forces and torques acting on a [[rigid body]] via [[vector addition]]. The defining feature of a resultant force, or resultant force-torque, is that it has the same effect on the rigid body as the original system of forces.<ref>H. Dadourian, [https://books.google.com/books?id=yHIOjycr8H4C&q=analytical+dynamic+resultant+of+forces+and+torques&pg=PA48 ''Analytical Mechanics for Students of Physics and Engineering,''] Van Nostrand Co., Boston, MA 1913</ref> Calculating and visualizing the resultant force on a body is done through computational analysis, or (in the case of sufficiently simple systems) a [[free body diagram]].

The [[point of application]] of the resultant force determines its associated torque. The term ''resultant force'' should be understood to refer to both the forces and torques acting on a rigid body, which is why some use the term ''resultant force–torque''. 

The force equal to the resultant force in magnitude, yet pointed in the opposite direction, is called an [[equilibrant force]].{{sfn | Hardy | 1904 | p=23}}