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Definitions of Vectors and Scalars

A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction, while a scalar only has magnitude. Vectors are represented by arrows, with length indicating magnitude and direction. When adding vectors, both magnitude and direction must be considered. The resultant vector is a single vector with the same overall effect as the original vectors. Perpendicular vectors can be added using Pythagorean theorem. Components of a vector can be resolved and added separately.

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50 views5 pages

Definitions of Vectors and Scalars

A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction, while a scalar only has magnitude. Vectors are represented by arrows, with length indicating magnitude and direction. When adding vectors, both magnitude and direction must be considered. The resultant vector is a single vector with the same overall effect as the original vectors. Perpendicular vectors can be added using Pythagorean theorem. Components of a vector can be resolved and added separately.

Uploaded by

nikkikeswani
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Definitions of Vectors and Scalars A vector quantity is any quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction.

Examples of vectors are velocity, acceleration, force, momentum. A scalar quantity is any quantity that has magnitude only. Direction is not taken into account with scalar quantities. Examples of scalars are speed, pressure, temperature, energy. Vectors are represented by arrows. The length of the arrow giving an indication of the magnitude of the vector, the direction of the arrow indicating the vector's direction. Addition of Vectors: Finding the Resultant When we add two or more vectors, it is absolutely crucial to take the direction of the vectors into account. The process of adding two or more vectors is known as finding the RESULTANT of the vectors. The resultant of two or more vectors is the single vector that could replace those vectors and still have the same effect in terms of both magnitude and direction. When two or more vectors are acting in the same direction in the same straight line, the resultant vector is a vector in the same direction, with a magnitude equal to the sum of the magnitudes of the other vectors. Things are slightly more complicated when vectors are not in a straight line. For example, when vectors are perpendicular to each other. Perpendicular Vectors and Vector Triangles When we are finding the resultant of two vectors acting perpendicular to each other, we can use Pythagoras' theorem and basic trigonometry to find the resultant vectors magnitude and direction. Vector Addition Adding scalars is easy because you can just add the numbers. For Example: 3kg + 4 kg = 7 kg Adding vectors needs much more care. You have to take into account their magnitude and direction. For Example: What's 3N + 4N? Well, it depends on the directions! Look at the possibilities...

Or

(Note: 1N is not balanced) Or

So in other words, you add vectors geometrically (using geometry). You should be able to do this using accurate diagrams (don't forget your protractor) or by using Pythagoras. Resultant Vectors The resultant vector is the one that you get when you add two or more vectors together. It is a single vector that has the same effect as all the others put together. Finding the resultant vector when the forces are in different directions can be tricky if you don't like Pythagoras, so here's a couple to get you going! Worked Example:

Using Pythagoras: R2 = 82 + 72 So, R = 113 = 10.6 N Resolving Vectors into Components We have just shown that any two vectors can be represented by a single resultant vector that has the same effect. Guess what?! You can do the same thing in reverse! Any single vector can be represented by two other vectors (components), which would have the same effect as the original one:

You need to use trigonometry to find the two components of a vector. Remember the two components will always be at right angles.

Worked Example 1: Find the forward force on the boat.

First you need to find the amount of the 5 N force that acts in the forward direction, using trigonometry: Part of 5 N force in forward direction = 5 cos 30 = 4.3 N Then this can be added to the 7 N force: 4.3 + 7 = 11.3 N force in the forward direction.

Worked Example 2: Sometimes the direction we are interested in is not vertical or horizontal. It doesn't matter as long as we still only add parallel forces. Find the force on the car parallel to the slope:

The 2000 N force is already parallel to the slope so we can ignore it for a moment. The 10 000 N is at an angle of 60 degrees to the slope so we need to use trigonometry to find its component parallel to the slope (look at the small triangle carefully): Component parallel to the slope = 10 000 cos 60 = 5 000 N down the slope. Now we can simply subtract the 2 000 N from the 5 000 N force as they are in opposite directions. So the resultant force parallel to the slope = 5 000 - 2 000 = 3 000 N down the slope.

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