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LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET NO. [number]
NAME: SCORE:
Leader: Bacarac, Brando Soliva, Zuleyca
Assistant leader: Alcantara, Eloisa Sonsing, Juan Miguel
Simbul, Aaron Ritamar, Gabrielle
Caniedo, Miguel Francisco, Lloyd
Marticio, Jhon Paul Lee, Xiamyr

GRADE AND SECTION: 12 STEM 2301 St. Dymphna of Ireland DATE: 12/18/24
SUBJECT: General Physics 2 QUARTER: Midterm SUBJECT TEACHER: Mr. Domingo Jr.
A Lorenzo
TYPE OF THE ACTIVITY:
 Quiz  Experiment  Drills  Enrichment Activity
 Seatwork  Reflection Paper  Formal Theme  Others:
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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:
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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 5N 0N 5N
b 5N 0N 5N
sum 10N 0N 10N

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?

Yes, the sum of the component of a and b is equal to the x-component of the sum. Since it is one
dimensional y-component, in this case will always be zero and the sum of component a and b will
result to the sum of x-component, 10N. Also the x-component of A is 5N and the x-component of B
is 5N which adds up to 10N.

5. Is the magnitude of the sum equal to the sum of the magnitudes of the two vectors?

Yes, the magnitude of sum is equal to the sum of the magnitudes of the two vectors as both sums
up to 10N.

6. Does the sum point in the same direction as the two vectors a and b?

Yes, the sum has the same direction with vectors a and b, going East because it is lying on the x-
axis.

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?

When multiplying vector to a positive scalar, the resulting vector maintains the same direction as
the original vector, if the original vector points East, multiplying it by a positive scalar will result
in a new vector that also points East.
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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 22.4N 63.4°

Given: x =10.0, y = 20.0

Required: Magnitude and Angle of resultant vector
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Equation: R=√ A² + B² , θ = tan⁻¹(B/A)
Solution: R = √(A² + B²)
Rx = 10 units + 0 units = 10 units
Ry = 0 units + 20 units = 20 units
R = √(10² + 20²)
R = √(100 + 400²)
R ≈ 22.36067977 km
R ≈ 22.36 km or 22.4 km

θ = tan⁻¹(B/A)
= tan⁻¹(20/10)
θ ≈ 63.43494882°
θ ≈ 63.43° E or 63.4° E

Answer: R ≈ 22.4 N , 63.4°E

22.4 N, 63.4° E

1. Is the magnitude of the vector smaller than the sum of the components? Should it be or should it
not be? Explain briefly.

Yes, the magnitude of a vector should be less than the sum of its components. The given shows that
the x-component is 10 units and the y-component is 20 units, which means their sum is 30 units
when added. Also, the magnitude of the resultant vector is 22.4 units, which is less than this
sum. It's important to remember that displacement is always either shorter than or equal to the
total distance traveled. The resultant vector represents the displacement, while the x- and y-
components represent the distance. In Triangle Inequality Theorem states that the sum of the
lengths of any two sides of a triangle must be greater than the length of the remaining side. Thus,
we can apply this theorem because the components of the vector and the resultant vector forms a
right triangle.

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.

The results are the same

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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.
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Quadrant x-com y-com Magnitude

I 10N 10N 14.1N
II -10N 10N 14.1N
III -10N -10N 14.1N
IV 10N -10N 14.1N

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.

Positive and negative components indicates direction rather than magnitude.

It means that while two vectors may point in different directions or quadrants which are, for
positive component (right/up), while for negative component (left/down). Their magnitudes can
still be identical if their lengths are the same.

Part 4: Addition of Vectors

Reset the coordinate system from your previous exercise. Select the angle option, .
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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 8N 10N 10N 36.9°
B 5.14N 19N 20N 75.1°
C 13.1N 25.3N 28.5N 62.6°

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 counterexample 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 Truth False Explanation

C=A+B ✓ The resultant vector C is
the sum of vectors A
and B in vector form,
calculated component-
wise.
C = A + B (magnitudes) ✓ Magnitudes of vectors
do not add directly
unless they are in the
same direction. C ≠ A +
B as shown in the data.
Cx = Ax + Bx ✓ The x-component of C is
the sum of the x-
components of A and B.
Cy = Ay + By ✓ The y-component of C is
the sum of the y-
components of A and B.
C = √(A² + B²) ✓ This formula only works
for perpendicular
vectors. A and B are not
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perpendicular in this
case.
θC = θA + θB ✓ Angles do not add this
way in vector addition;
we calculated θC using
tan⁻¹(Cy/Cx).
C < A +B ✓ This follows the Triangle
Inequality Theorem, as
the magnitude of C is
less than the sum of the
magnitudes of A and B.
𝐶 = √𝐶2 + 𝐶2 ✓ This is the correct
x y formula for calculating
the magnitude of the
resultant vector C.

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).

Addition of vectors using Algebraic method:

To add unlike and like terms with the same initial point, add them algebraically.

Addition of vectors using head to tail method:

Adding of vectors a and b by using graphs, it involves drawing the first vector, then placing the
tail of the second vector at the head of the first vector, and lastly drawing a resultant vector from
the tail of the first vector to the head of the second vector.

Addition of vectors using Pythagorean theorem:

To find resultant vector of A and B that are perpendicular to each other.
R = √(A² + B²), R is value of the resultant vector, A is the sum of x-component, B is the sum of y-
component.

θ = tan⁻¹(B/A) , To find angle of resultant vector.

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?)

The signs of the components (positive or negative) do depend on the quadrant. While adding the x-
component and y-component remains consistent across all quadrants, the specific values of these
components are influenced by their respective angles.

Quadrant I: The reference angle would be <90°

Quadrant 2: 180 - Ɵ ( >90°, <180°)
Quadrant 3: Ɵ - 180 (>180°, < 270°)
Quadrant 4: 360 - Ɵ ( >270°, <360°)

Special Cases
If the angle is 90° or 270°, the reference angle is 90°.
If the angle is 0° or 180°, the reference angle is 0°.
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Rubrics for Virtual Experiment Using PhET Simulation

Criteria 5 – Excellent 4 – Good 3 – Satisfactory 2 – Needs 1 - Poor

Improvement
Follows the Follows the Completes most Significant errors Fails to follow
provided procedure with steps correctly, in following the the procedure,
procedure minor deviations but with procedure, with multiple
Following precisely, or corrections noticeable errors affecting the critical steps
Procedures completing all that do not affect or omissions. results of the omitted or
steps in the the outcome experiment. incorrect.
correct order significantly.
without errors.
Utilizes all Interacts with Uses the Limited Minimal
simulation tools the simulation simulation to a interaction with interaction with
effectively and well, with minor basic extent, but the simulation, the simulation,
Simulation appropriately to inefficiencies or some tools or missing key showing a lack of
Interaction gather accurate missed features are opportunities to understanding of
data and explore opportunities to underutilized. gather data or its tools or
variables. explore key test variables. purpose.
variables.
Records accurate Records mostly Data is partially Data is Data is either
and complete accurate and recorded, with incomplete or absent or
data from the complete data, noticeable gaps contains irrelevant,
Data Accuracy
simulation, with minor gaps or errors that significant showing little to
and
aligning fully with or impact analysis. inaccuracies that no effort.
Completeness
experimental inconsistencies. hinder the
objectives. experiment’s
goals.
Clearly Applies relevant Basic application Misapplies Concepts are not
demonstrates concepts of concepts; concepts or applied or are
understanding of correctly, with some shows limited misunderstood,
physics concepts minor gaps in connections understanding of showing little or
Application of
by linking reasoning or between theory their relevance to no connection to
Physics Concepts
simulation explanation. and simulation the simulation. theory.
outcomes to outcomes are
theory unclear.
effectively.
Report is Presentation is Presentation is Presentation is Presentation is
exceptionally organized and somewhat clear unclear or unorganized and
organized, clear, includes but lacks depth disorganized, incomplete, with
and includes reflections, with or includes only with superficial no meaningful
Presentation and
insightful minor errors or basic reflections. or missing reflection.
Reflection
reflections on the missing details. reflections.
simulation
results and
process.
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