Question: This questions regards to doing force calculation using vectors. This image here should display my problem [![image](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SjXc5.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SjXc5.jpg).

In basic newtonian physics, the normal force = force of gravity \* cosine (angle of inclination). $$F\_N = F\_G \times \cos{\theta}$$

To be clearer:

$$F\_N = (x\_G, y\_G) \times \cos{\theta}$$ $$F\_N = (0, 9.8) \times \cos{\theta}$$ $$F\_N = (0, 9.8\cos{\theta})$$

The problem is not calculating this value but representing it as a 2D vector format. How is the **x-component** of $F\_N = 0$, when the diagram (according to the direction of where the $F\_N$ is pointing) clearly shows that the **x-component** should have a value? I believe I have messed up my calculations. Could someone please help me? Thanks in advance!

EDIT:

The **x-component** of $F\_N$ should have a value other than $0$, otherwise, if it was = 0, it would be pointing straight up or down. This does not seem to be occurring in my calculations.

Answer: 
In standard cosmology, the answer to the bolded question is "yes", while the answer to the second one is "no".

There is a way to define an absolute reference frame, in that any observer can measure the dipole moment of CMB radiation and determine the velocity with which they are moving through it (see section 2.1 in [this Planck paper](http://arxiv.org/abs/1807.06205), for example).

What this means is that the universe is not invariant with respect to Lorentz boosts, but it *is* ([at large enough scales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmological_principle)) invariant with respect to rotations and shifts, so there is no center or preferential direction to speak of.

The existence of this "preferential" frame does not invalidate the general principle of relativity --- physics can be described in other frames just as well if we do a coordinate transformation. However, this particular one is interesting in that we can unambiguously refer to it from anywhere in the universe.
Is there a well-defined “speed relative to the universe" and is there a well-defined "central point" of the universe are 2 different questions.

As far as central point is concerned, there is indeed no such point.

Speed relative to the universe is also strictly not well-defined, but the frame of the cosmic background radiation is sometimes considered as some kind of stationary rest frame of the universe, relative to which other events can be described. But this is not a "privileged" frame of reference, just a convenient frame of reference to describe any kind of events anywhere in the universe.