A force board is set up with 3 masses attached to strings all connected to a ring in the center of the board as shown below. Adjust the mass on each string using the sliders to achieve static equilibrium (no net Force in any direction) through vector cancellation in both the x and y axis directions. Static equilibribum is achieved when the ring in the middle of the force board is centered around the red peg located in the exact center, which occurs when there is no net force pulling the ring against the peg in any direction by any of the strings attached to the ring.
When you have achieved static equilibrium, note the angles and mass for objects 1 through 3 in your lab data.
Be careful when considering your angles for vector calculations. The angles provided on the force table wheel are simply there as a reference (like a protractor). When you separate each object's forces into their x and y coordinates, the angles you use for your calculations need to be relative to the x or y axis. If you use the total angle measurement read directly off the force wheel, it might produce an incorrect result.