Vector Representation MPS Department | FEU Institute of Technology | 1.1 Objectives
At the end of the lecture, the students must be able to:
• Differentiate scalar and vector quantities. • Identify the different representation of vectors • Calculate for the magnitude of vectors in 2D and 3D space. • Calculate for the direction of vectors in 2D space. Lecture 1.1 Scalar and Vector Quantities “Some physical quantities, such as time, temperature, mass, and density, can be described completely by a single number with a unit. But many other important quantities in physics have a direction associated with them and cannot be described by a single number.” • When a physical quantity is described by a single number, we call it a scalar quantity.
• In contrast, a vector quantity has both
magnitude and direction. Vectors can be represented using arrows or components.
Vectors as arrows: • A vector is drawn as an arrow with a head and a tail. • The magnitude of the vector is often described by the length of the arrow. • The arrow points in the direction of the vector.
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/vectcomp.html https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/vectcomp.html If two vectors have the same magnitude, they are equivalent.
If two vectors have the same direction, they are parallel.
If two vectors are pointing on opposite directions, they are called anti-parallel.
If they have the same magnitude and the same direction, they are equal.
https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/vectcomp.html For a vector 𝐴Ԧ in a 2-dimensional space, the magnitude can be calculated as:
𝑨 = 𝑨𝟐𝒙 + 𝑨𝟐𝒚
For a vector 𝐴Ԧ in a 3-dimensional space, the magnitude can be calculated as:
𝑨 = 𝑨𝟐𝒙 + 𝑨𝟐𝒚 + 𝑨𝟐𝒛
// Just think of it this way: to get the magnitude of a vector,
just get the square root of the sum of the squares of the components ☺ For a vector 𝐴Ԧ in a 2-dimensional space, the magnitude can be calculated as: −𝟏 𝑨𝒚 𝜽 = 𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝑨𝒙
Try these! TAKE NOTE!
Find the angle of inclination of the following vectors: The angle theta is actually the 1. <1.13, -3.22> angle of inclination of a vector with respect to the positive x-axis. For a 2. <15.02, 29.16> vector in 3D space, the angle theta 3. 4i + 7j does not completely describe its 4. <5,0> direction. Find the angle of inclination of the following vectors:
