Lesson 8 Vectors in Two Dimensions

Lesson 8: Vectors in Two Dimensions
Vectors in Two Dimensions
A student walks 1.0 m [North] and 2.0 m [East].

What is his resulting displacement?
Draw the vector diagram.
(Preferentially draw the

longer vector first.)
The magnitude of his displacement can be found using the Pythagorean Theorem: a 2+b2=c 2
(2.0 m)2+(1.0 m)2=c 2

2.2 m=c
But displacement is a vector and also needs a direction . . . and the direction is not [NE].
[NE] means [N45oE] or [45o E of N]. His displacement is more East than North.
To find the angle, we use trigonometry:
1.0 m
tan θ=( )
2.0 m
1.0 m
θ=tan −1 ( )=27 o
2.0 m
The direction is East with a 27o correction to North and may be stated as [E27oN] or [27o N of E].
(It may also be stated with the complementary angle as [N53oE] or [53o E of N].)
Practice Question 1
(a) A student walks 3.0 m [S] and 4.0 m [W].

The magnitude of his displacement is:
A. 1.0 m B. 5.0 m
C. 7.0 m D. It cannot be determined.
(b) The direction of his displacement is:
A. SW B. S37oW
C. W37oS D. It cannot be determined.
SPH3U Lesson 8 page 1

Another student walks 1.0 m [E] and 1.4 m [NE]. What is her resulting displacement?
Draw the vector diagram:
To add vectors that are not at right angles to each other, we could use the Law of Cosines, but more
commonly, we break the vectors down into their components.
The angled vector (1.4 m [NE]) breaks down into:
x y
cos 45o=( ) sin 45 o=( )
1.4 m 1.4 m
o o
x=(1.4 m) cos 45 y=(1.4 m)sin 45
x=1.0 m y=1.0 m
Add all the horizontal vectors/components to create a new, right-angled triangle.
then becomes
(which is identical to the vector diagram for the first student's motion.
Her displacement is also 2.2 m [E27oN].)
Practice Question 2
(a) A student walks 3.0 m [N] and 5.0 m [N37oE].

The magnitude of her displacement is:
A. 2.0 m B. 7.2 m
C. 7.6 m D. 8.0 m
(b) The direction of her displacement is:
A. NE B. N23oE
C. N34oE D. N67oE

We can also subtract vectors by adding the opposite vector.
Example
A car driving at 12 m/s [N] turns a corner in 3.0 s and proceeds at 12 m/s [E].
What was the acceleration of the car during those 3.0 s?
m m
v 1=12
⃗ [N ] v 2=12
⃗ [E] Δ t=3.0 s a=?
⃗
s s
m m
12 [E ]−12 [ N ]
⃗v −⃗v s s The answer here is not zero. North and East don't cancel out.
a= 2 1 =
⃗
Δt 3.0 s
m m m m m
12 [ E ]−12 [N ] 12 [ E ]+12 [S ] 17 [ SE ]
s s s s s m
a=
⃗ = = =5.7 2 [ SE ]
3.0 s 3.0 s 3.0 s s
Practice Question 3
(a) A bicycle moving at 6 m/s [E] turns a corner and

continues moving at 8 m/s [N]. The direction of the
average acceleration of the bicycle while turning is:
A. N37oE B. S37oE
C. N37oW D. S37oW
(b) If the bicycle takes 2 s to turn, the magnitude of the

average acceleration of the bicycle while turning is:
A. 1 m/s2 B. 2 m/s2
C. 4 m/s2 D. 5 m/s2

We can also add horizontal and vertical force vectors to determine the net force: add all horizontal
vectors to find your horizontal component of the net force, add all vertical vectors to find your vertical
component of the net force, then determine the resultant net force.
(If any of the original vectors are at an angle, break them down into their components first.)
Practice Question 4
 net in each case given the free-body diagrams below.

Find F
(a) (b)

Forces that are applied at an angle with the horizontal can change the normal force acting on an object:
for example, if the applied force has a downward component, it will increase the required normal force.
If the surface is not frictionless, changing the normal force can also change the frictional force.
Practice Question 5
A student is pulling a sled of mass 15 kg across level snow with a force of magnitude 25 N at an angle
of 37o above the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the sled and the snow is 0.10.
Find the net force on the sled.
Hint: Break down the applied force down into its horizontal and vertical components. Find the normal
force, given that the net vertical force must still be zero. Find the net horizontal force. It may help you
to draw a free-body diagram.

Lesson 8 Vectors in Two Dimensions

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Lesson 8: Vectors in Two Dimensions

Vectors in Two Dimensions

A student walks 1.0 m [North] and 2.0 m [East].

Draw the vector diagram.

(Preferentially draw the

(2.0 m)2+(1.0 m)2=c 2

To find the angle, we use trigonometry:

(a) A student walks 3.0 m [S] and 4.0 m [W].

C. 7.0 m D. It cannot be determined.

(b) The direction of his displacement is:

C. W37oS D. It cannot be determined.

SPH3U Lesson 8 page 1

Draw the vector diagram:

The angled vector (1.4 m [NE]) breaks down into:

Add all the horizontal vectors/components to create a new, right-angled triangle.

(a) A student walks 3.0 m [N] and 5.0 m [N37oE].

(b) The direction of her displacement is:

SPH3U Lesson 8 page 2

We can also subtract vectors by adding the opposite vector.

(a) A bicycle moving at 6 m/s [E] turns a corner and

(b) If the bicycle takes 2 s to turn, the magnitude of the

SPH3U Lesson 8 page 3

 net in each case given the free-body diagrams below.

SPH3U Lesson 8 page 4

SPH3U Lesson 8 page 5

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