Experiment 2: Vector Addition

Jonathan De Guzman, Kiara De Leon, Kimberly dela Fuente, Reyza Kathleen Dimaculangan
Group #3
Department of Chemistry
College of Science, University of Santo Tomas
Espaa, Manila

Abstract:
The experiment is all about Vector
Addition and the three different ways to
determine its resultant displacement. These
methods
namely
polygon
method,
parallelogram method and component method
were used to prove that adding vectors show
commutative and associative property. After
the experiment, accuracy was shown from the
different methods used. The resultant
displacement obtained was 4.3 m.
Introduction
Vector addition is the process of
adding two or more vectors. The sum of two
or more vectors is called resultant or vector
sum. There are three different ways to get the
resultant. These are the polygon method, the
parallelogram method, and the component
method.
The Polygon method or the head to
tail method calculates the resultant by placing
the tail of the second vector at the head, or tip,
of the first vector. The parallelogram method
involves using an accurately drawn, scaled
vector diagram to determine the components
of the vector. Briefly put, the method involves
drawing the vector to scale in the indicated
direction, sketching a parallelogram around
the vector such that the vector is the diagonal
of the parallelogram, and determining the
magnitude of the components using the
scale. The component method adds the xcomponents of each of the vectors and then
adding them together to get the total of xcomponents, also the y-components of each
vectors are added and adding all of them
together to get the total of y-components.

Whether we place the tail of A on the

head of B or the tail of B on the head of A, the
resultant is the same. Hence, + = + . This
identity is called the commutative law for
vector addition. It indicates that, just as in
ordinary addition of numbers, the order of the
terms is irrelevant. Three or more vectors can
be added in succession. For example, the
resultant of three vectors , , and can be
obtained by first adding
and and then
adding . Alternatively, this resultant can be
obtained by first adding and and then
adding this to . Comparison of these figures
shows that the grouping of terms makes no
difference; in both cases we obtain the same
final resultant. Hence, ( + ) + = + ( + ).
This is called the associative law of vector
addition.
In this experiment, the group
should be able to achieve the following
objectives: (1) To determine the resultant
displacement by the component method,
parallelogram method and polygon method,
and (2) to show that vector addition is
commutative and associative.
Theory
Vector provides the information about
the direction, distance and magnitude. By
adding the vectors the resultant vector is
found. Which means the direction and distance
to the target positon was also found. Equations
and formula are the following used in the
experiment:
Vector Addition
First determination:
+ )+ =

Second determination

where:
is the vector A
is the vector B
is the vector C
is the resultant vector
(Using a ruler and protractor the angle and
magnitude of resultant was determined)

where: is the resultant vector

In trigonometry, tan = and when it takes to
inverse the angle will be determined.

where: is the angle of the resultant vector

Pythagorean Theorem was used to determine
the true value of the resultant vector.

Vector Addition with Components

Formula used:

To compute the % error of magnitude

where:
Axi is the vector A x-component

where:
Ayi is the vector A y-component

where:
Bxi is the vector B x-component

where:
TV is the true value
EV is the experimental value

Methodology
where:
Byi is the vector B y-component

where:
Cxi is the vector C x-component

where:
Cyi is the vector C y-component

where:
Rx is the summation of x-components

where:
Ry is the summation of y-components

In Activity 1 using polygon method,

one member of the group assigned to be a
mark in the initial position of the
displacements. 1m E, 2.5m N and 3m 30 0 N of
W are the displacements then the initial
position and final position was marked, an
arrow was drawn between them. Distance
between initial and final position is the
resultant. The magnitude, direction of resultant
displacement was determined by ruler and
protractor. Back again from the starting
position the assigned member was asked to
walk again but in different order of
displacement and determine its resultant. This
was done with two more trials. The measured
resultant displacement was compared. There is
a probability that all result in the different
trials is the same.
Parallelogram method was used in the
Activity 2. Scale is 1m=1cm. The following
displacements are A= 1m E, B=2.5m N and

C=3m 300 N of W. Using parallelogram

method, the resultant displacement was
determined. Ruler and protractor were used.
There were two trials. In the first
determination A and B was added then C and
resultant. In the second determination, B and C
was added first the added to A. The last
activity used component method to determine
the resultant displacement. Vector addition
with component formula was used. The result
was the accepted or true value then
computation for percent error of magnitude of
activity 1 and 2 was done.

Results and Discussion

Activity 1: Polygon Method
Table 1: Polygon or Head to Tail Method
Magnitude
of
% error for
magnitude
Direction of
% error for
direction

Trial 1
4.5m

Trial 2
4.5m

Trial 3
4.45m

11.11%

11.11%

11%

690 N of
W
1.47%

700 N of
W
2.94%

720 N of
W
5.88%

Activity 2: Parallelogram Method

Table 2: Parallelogram or Tail to Tail Method
Scale: 1m=1cm
Length of arrow
representing
Magnitude of
% error for
magnitude
Direction of
% error for
direction

Trial 1
4.4cm

Trial 2
4.4cm

4.4m
2.3%

4.3m
0%

70 W of N
2.9%

68 W of N
0%

Activity 3: Component Method

Table 3: Component Method
displacement

x-component
1

y-component
0

0
-2.60
x = -1.60

Magnitude of
direction of

2.50
1.50
y = 4.00

= 4.3m
= 680 N of W/ 220 W of N

Discussion:
In the experiment, we are tasked to determine
the resultant displacement by three different
ways naming: polygon (or head to tail)
method, parallelogram (or tail to tail method)
method and the component method. For the
parallelogram method and the component
method were assigned as homework. For the
first activity, it was done in the lab. For the
first activity, we use a meter stick and a
protractor for measuring purposes also a chalk
for marking purposes. In Table 1 it shows the
data that our group recorded. In Table 1 we
can see that there are some errors that are
committed while doing the experiment. For the
magnitude, we can see that the percentage
error is 11-11.11% and the direction of the
displacement has a percentage error of 1.475.88%. The possible errors that may have been
committed were: due to limited space the
magnitude were improperly measured, how
does the group member looked on the
measuring device (or wrong reading of the
measuring device), due to lost/erased marking
because we worked along the corridors (or
outside the lab) and many students were
passing that corridors, due to unmarked that
should have been marked. For activity 2 and 3
those were done at home. As we can see on
Table 2 that it has a percentage error of 20%
for its magnitude and 31.8%-73.7% for its
direction. Some possible errors that have been
committed for activity 2 were: improper
measurement of the parallelogram, wrong
understanding of the problem given, and
wrong understanding of the graph that has
been drawn on the graphing paper. For activity
3, this has been assumed as the theoretical
value (refer to Table 3) for the magnitude and
its direction.

Conclusion
The researchers therefore conclude
that the resultant was successfully determined
by using each of the three graphical methods:
The polygon method, parallelogram method,
and component method. These methods
consume a lot of time because it is a long
process. It takes focus and determination to get
the right answers. Despite of the long method,
an accurate answer will be obtained in the end.
The resultant displacement using the
component method was 4.3 m. Knowing that
the
commutative
law
shows
that the resultant vector is , + = + and
the associative law shows that the resultant
is ( + )+ =
+( + ), vector addition is
associative and commutative in the sense that
even though you interchange the variables, a
precise answer can still be obtained.

- Distance is a scalar quantity which refers on

how much or how long was the actual path an
object covered during its motion. Meanwhile,
displacement is a vector quantity which refers
to the overall change in position of an object.
For example: if a person travelled 6m E and
walked back 6m W, the distance is 12m but
the displacement is 0 because there is no
change in position.

3. To go to a grocery, a student has to walk

8.25m S, 4.0m E and then 2.5m SE from his
dormitory. Specify the distance and bearing of
the grocery relative to the students dormitory.
- The distance is from the dormitory to the
grocery is 14.75m. The bearing is 10.75m, 45
S of E.

Reference
Application
1. You are given only the magnitudes of 2
vectors: 3 units and 4 units. What is the range
of magnitude of resultant? What must be the
angle between these vectors to get A)
maximum resultant B) minimum resultant C) a
resultant of magnitude 5 units D) a resultant of
6 units?
- The magnitude of the resultant has a range
from 1 to 7 units.
A) To get the maximum resultant, the angle
must be 0
B) To get the minimum resultant, the angle
must be 180
C) The angle must be 90 to get the resultant
of magnitude 5 units.
D) The angle must be 60 to get the resultant
of magnitude 6 units.

2. Differentiate distance from displacement. Is

it possible for you to have no displacement
even though you have travelled a great
distance? Explain by giving examples.

[1]
Resultant Vectors. Retrieved on
August
20,
2014
from
http://www.mathwarehouse.com/vectors/result
ant-vector.php