Scribd
Upload
316 views5 pages

Physics 1 - Lab 1 - PT 2

This document contains instructions for an activity on vector quantities involving the addition of vectors. Students are asked to use an online simulation to explore scalar multiplication, vector components, vectors in different quadrants, and vector addition. They are to record their results and answers to questions in tables. The objective is to verify important properties of vectors including how their magnitude and components relate to vector addition and subtraction.

Uploaded by

Mark Vincent Bueno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
316 views5 pages

Physics 1 - Lab 1 - PT 2

This document contains instructions for an activity on vector quantities involving the addition of vectors. Students are asked to use an online simulation to explore scalar multiplication, vector components, vectors in different quadrants, and vector addition. They are to record their results and answers to questions in tables. The objective is to verify important properties of vectors including how their magnitude and components relate to vector addition and subtraction.

Uploaded by

Mark Vincent Bueno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Score

_________________
Neatness 10
Promptness 20
Content 70

Group Leader:
Other Members:
Grade & Section:
Date Submitted:

ACTIVITY IN VECTOR QUANTITIES


PERFORMANCE TASK 2
Addition of Vector Quantities

OBJECTIVE
In this online lab you will explore the properties of vectors, scalar multiplication, vector addition
and vector subtraction. You will verify some of the important relations between the magnitude
and the components of a vector.
PROCEDURE
Open the simulation at https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/vector-addition/latest/vector-
addition_en.html
Part 1: Scalar Multiplication
Select the “Explore 1D” option. This should take you to a screen like the one below:

Make sure that both the “Sum” button is selected.


1. Drag a vector of length 5.0 with its tail at the origin.
2. Drag a second vector of length 5.0 connected to the first vector.
3. Fill in the table below with the values of the vectors and their sum.
Vector x-component y-component Magnitude
a
b
sum

Include a screenshot of your simulation.


4. Is the sum of the component of a and b equal to the x-component of the sum?
5. Is the magnitude of the sum equal to the sum of the magnitudes of the two vectors?
6. Does the sum point in the same direction as the two vectors a and b?
What you did in this part was to multiply a vector by a scalar (that is, a number), because you
added two vectors of the same magnitude and same direction. Based on your results, what is the
effect of multiplying a vector by a positive scalar?
Part 2: Vector Components
Open the “Explore 2D” part of the simulation. This is what you should see:

Make sure you click on the top left so that you have the vector values hidden at first.

Now drop a vector with x-component of 10.0 and y-component of 20.0. Attach a screenshot.
Calculate the magnitude of the vector and the angle in standard notation. Fill in the table below.

Vector x-com y-com Magnitude Angle


a 10.0 20.0

1. Is the magnitude of the vector smaller than the sum of the components? Should it be or
should it not be? Explain briefly.
2. Verify your calculations and answers by checking the “Vector Values” at the top left and
making sure that you have obtained the correct results.
Part 3: Components in different quadrants
Open the “Lab” part of the simulation. Move the origin of the xy-coordinate system to the center,
like below.

Place four vectors on the plane, one in each quadrant, so that they form an “x”. The length is not
very important for this, but make sure that the vectors are all equal, like the ones below.

Now select the “Values” and the “Components” options , so that you can read the
values of the components of all the vectors. Fill in the table below. The quadrants are labelled I,
II, III, and IV, starting at the top right and moving counterclockwise. Attach a screenshot.
Quadrant x-com y-com Magnitude
1. Based on your results, what can you conclude about the sign of the components of a
vector in relation to the quadrant in which the vector resides? Answer this question by
filling in the table below with “+” or “–“ for positive or negative.
Quadrant x-com y-com
I
II
III
IV

2. Do the vectors in the above table have the same magnitude? If they do, why is it so, even
though some have positive components and some have negative components? Explain.

Part 4: Addition of Vectors

Reset the coordinate system from your previous exercise. Select the angle option, .
Place a vector of length 10.0 at an angle of 36.9⁰ with respect to the positive x-axis. Let’s call
this vector A. Then, attach to it a second vector of length 20.0, at an angle of 75.1⁰ with respect
to the positive x-axis. Let’s call this vector B. Include a screenshot. Make sure that the vectors
are the same color.
Now select the “Sum”, “Values” and “Components” options, so that you can read their numerical
values. Place the sum vector in standard form (with its tail at the origin). Let’s call the sum C.
Fill in the table below.
Vector x-com y-com Magnitude Angle
A
B
C

1. Based on your results, fill in the below table of True and False, and justify your selection
with a brief explanation. You can provide a counter-example to show that one statement
is false and you can also attach screenshots to justify your answer graphically. Boldface
capital letters refer to the vector, regular capital letters refer to the magnitude only.

Statement True False Explanation


C= A+ B
C= A+ B
C x = A x +B x
C x= A y+ B y
C y= A x+ A y
C=√ A +B
2 2

θC =θ A +θ B
C< A +B
C=√ C2x + C2y
2. Based on your results and your answers (and on what we learned in class) write down the
equations for the addition of two vectors. (To include equations in Word, go to Select-
>Equation).
3. Are the equations for vector addition dependent on which quadrant the vectors are? (That
is, do the equations change depending on the quadrant in which the vectors are?)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. The class shall create a group with a maximum of 5 members ONLY. (choose on your own)
2. Only 1 member of the group will be the one to pass the answered activity paper in the LMS.
3. The file must be converted into PDF.
4. Do not forget to write all name of the members of your group.

You might also like