The potential energy U of a body of mass m is given by U = ax + by where x and y are the position coordinates of the particle, the net force acting on the particle is:

Options

A. `sqrt(a^(2) +b^(2))`
B. `sqrt(a+b)`
C. `(a^(2)+b^(2))`
D. `(a+b)`

Answer

a

Explanation

`F_(x)=(-dU)/(dx)impliesF_(x)=-a`
`F_(y)=(-dU)/(dy)impliesF_(y)=-b`
:.`F=sqrt(F_(x)^(2)+F_(y)^(2))=sqrt(a^(2)+b^(2))`
Hence correct choice is (a).