Vectors and Scalars

AP Physics C

Scalar
A SCALAR is ANY
quantity in physics that
has MAGNITUDE, but
NOT a direction
associated with it.
Magnitude A numerical
value with units.

Scalar
Example

Magnitude

Speed

20 m/s

Distance

10 m

Age

15 years

Heat

1000
calories

Vector
A VECTOR is ANY
quantity in physics that
has BOTH
MAGNITUDE and
DIRECTION.

v , x, a, F

Vectors are typically

illustrated by drawing an
ARROW above the symbol.
The arrow is used to convey
direction and magnitude.

Vector
Velocity

Magnitude
& Direction
20 m/s, N

Acceleration 10 m/s/s, E
Force

5 N, West

Polar Notation
Polar notation defines a vector by
designating the vectors magnitude |A| and
angle relative to the +x axis. Using that
notation the vector is written:

In this picture we have a force vector with

magnitude 12 Newtons oriented at 210
degrees with the + x axis. It would be
characterized as F = 12 < 210

Polar Notation
In this picture we have a force vector of 12
Newtons oriented along the -x axis. However,
polar notation is relative to the + x axis.
Therefore, it would be characterized by
F = 12 < 180

In this last picture we have 2 vectors. They

are characterized by:
C = 2 < 30
D = 4 < - 50 or D = 4 < 310

Scalar Multiplication
Multiplying a vector by a scalar
will ONLY CHANGE its
magnitude.
Multiplying a vector by
-1 does not change the
magnitude, but it does
reverse it's direction or in
a sense, it's angle.

Thus if A = 12 < 105, Then

2A = 24 < 105

-1/2A

Thus if A = 12 < 105, then

-A = 12 < 285
If A = 12 < 105, then
(-1/2)A = 6 < 285

Unit Vector Notation

An effective and popular system used in engineering is
called unit vector notation. It is used to denote
vectors with an x-y Cartesian coordinate system.

Unit Vector Notation

=3j
J = vector of magnitude 1 in the y direction

i = vector of magnitude 1 in the x direction

= 4i

The hypotenuse in Physics is

called the RESULTANT or
VECTOR SUM.
The LEGS of the triangle are
called the COMPONENTS

A 4i 3 j
3j

4i
Horizontal Component

Vertical Component
NOTE: When drawing a right triangle that
conveys some type of motion, you MUST draw
your components HEAD TO TOE.

Unit Vector Notation

i - unit vector 1 in the x direction
j - unit vector 1 in the y direction
k - unit vector 1 in the z direction

The proper terminology is to use

the hat instead of the arrow. So
we have i-hat, j-hat, and k-hat
which are used to describe any
type of motion in 3D space.

How would you write vectors J and K in

unit vector notation?

J 2i 4 j
K 2i 5 j

Applications of Vectors
VECTOR ADDITION If 2 similar vectors point in the SAME
direction, add them.

Example: A man walks 54.5 meters east, then another 30

meters east. Calculate his displacement relative to where he
started?
54.5 m, E

84.5 m, E

30 m, E

Notice that the SIZE of

the arrow conveys
MAGNITUDE and the
way it was drawn
conveys DIRECTION.

Applications of Vectors
VECTOR SUBTRACTION - If 2 vectors are going in
opposite directions, you SUBTRACT.

Example: A man walks 54.5 meters east, then 30

meters west. Calculate his displacement relative to
where he started?
54.5 m, E
30 m, W
24.5 m, E

Non-Collinear Vectors
When 2 vectors are perpendicular, you must use the
Pythagorean theorem.
A man walks 95 km, East then 55
km, north. Calculate his
RESULTANT DISPLACEMENT.

c2 a 2 b2 c a2 b2
55 km, N

c Resultant 952 552

c 12050 109.8 km

95 km,E

BUT..what about the VALUE of the

angle???

Just putting North of East on the answer is NOT specific enough for the direction. We MUST find the VALUE of the
angle.

109.8 km

N of E
95 km,E

55 km, N

To find the value of the angle we

use a Trig function called
TANGENT.

Tan

opposite side 55

0.5789
adjacent side 95

Tan 1 (0.5789) 30

109.8km @ 30 NofE
So the COMPLETE final answer is :

109.8km 30
95i km 55 j km

What if you are missing a

Suppose a person walked 65 m, 25 degrees East of North. What
component?
were his horizontal and vertical components?
H.C. = ?

V.C = ?

25

65 m

The goal: ALWAYS MAKE A RIGHT

TRIANGLE!
To solve for components, we often use
the trig functions sine and cosine.

adjacent side
cosine
hypotenuse
adj hyp cos

opposite side
sine
hypotenuse
opp hyp sin

adj V .C. 65 cos 25 58.91m, N or 58.91 j m

opp H .C. 65 sin 25 27.47 m, E or 27.47i m

Example
A bear, searching for food wanders 35 meters east then 20 meters north.
Frustrated, he wanders another 12 meters west then 6 meters south. Calculate
the bear's displacement.

12 m, W

23 m, E

14 m, N

6 m, S

R 14 2 232 26.93m

20 m, N

14
.6087
23
Tan 1 (0.6087) 31.3
Tan

35 m, E

14 m, N

23 m, E
The Final Answer:

26.93m @ 31.3 NofE

26.93m 31.3
23i m 14 j m

Example
A boat moves with a velocity of 15 m/s, N in a river which flows with a velocity
of 8.0 m/s, west. Calculate the boat's resultant velocity with respect to due
north.

Rv 82 152 17 m / s
8.0 m/s, W
15 m/s, N

Rv

8
Tan 0.5333
15
Tan 1 (0.5333) 28.1

17 m / s @ 28.1 WofN
The Final Answer :

17 m / s 118 .1
8i m / s 15 j m / s

Example
A plane moves with a velocity of 63.5 m/s at 32 degrees South of East. Calculate
the plane's horizontal and vertical velocity components.

adjacent side
hypotenuse
adj hyp cos

cosine
H.C. =?
32
63.5 m/s

V.C. = ?

opposite side
hypotenuse
opp hyp sin

sine

adj H .C. 63.5 cos 32 53.85 m / s, E or 53.85i

opp V .C. 63.5 sin 32 33.64 m / s, S or 33.64 j

The Dot Product (Vector

Multiplication)
Multiplying
2 vectors sometimes gives you a

SCALAR quantity which we call the SCALAR

DOT PRODUCT.

In polar notation consider 2 vectors:

A = |A| < 1 & B = |B| < 2
The dot product between A and B produces
a SCALAR quantity. The magnitude of the
scalar product is defined as:
Where is the NET angle between the two
vectors. As shown in the figure.

The Scalar Dot Product

Let A = |12| < 30, Let B = |5| < 65
What is A "dot" B?

A B A B cos 12 5 cos 35
A B 49.15
In unit vector notation, it looks a little
different. Consider:

The "Dot" product between these is equal

to:

The Scalar Dot Product

What is the

SIGNIFICANCE of the dot product?

The significance of the dot

In this figure, vector B has been split into 2
product
components, one PARALLEL to vector A
and one PERPENDICULAR to vector A.
Notice that the component parallel to
vector A has a magnitude of |B|Cos

THEREFORE when you find the DOT

PRODUCT, the result is:
i) The MAGNITUDE of one vector,
in this case |A| and,
ii) The MAGNITUDE of the 2nd
vector's component that runs parallel to
the first vector. (That is where the cosine
comes from)

Dot Products in Physics

Consider this situation: A force F is applied to
a moving object as it transverses over a
frictionless surface for a displacement, d.
As F is applied to the object it will increase
the object's speed!
But which part of F really
causes the object to
increase in speed?
It is |F|Cos ! Because it is parallel to the displacement d
In fact if you apply the dot product, you get (|F|Cos )d, which happens to
be defined as "WORK" (check your equation sheet!)

A B A B cos
W F x F x cos

Work is a type of energy and energy DOES

NOT have a direction, that is why WORK is a
scalar or in this case a SCALAR PRODUCT
(AKA DOT PRODUCT).

Dot products using the TI-89

Here is where having the TI-89 is going to come if handy. You can
actually enter vector into your calculator in UNIT VECTOR
NOTATION. On your calculator we first need to clear any data
that might be lurking in its memory. Go to F6, then choose
CLEAR a-z.
This will wipe out any and all stored values
that you have assigned to variable letters.
Now let's learn how to type a vector into
the calculator in unit vector notation.
Suppose we had two vectors, one which
represented the force and the other which
represents the displacement as in our
WORK example earlier.

Dot products using the TI-89

You start off by using brackets, then separate each number by a comma, then
close the brackets. Then hit the STO button, then "a" as shown below in the
diagram. Then do the same thing for the next vector except store this as "b"

Now that you have assigned each vector a

variable. On the calculator go to
CATALOG and find dotP( from the menu).
Hit enter. Then type in a,b and close the
parenthesis as shown in the diagrams.

Dot products using the TI-89

We see we get -1 for the WORK. What

does this mean?
Remember, the dot product gives you a SCALAR which has NO DIRECTION.
The negative here simply means that the Force and Displacement oppose each
other yet are still PARALLEL.
An example would be the
WORK done by friction to
slow a base runner down.
Displacement
Force of Friction

The Cross Product (Vector

Multiplying
2 vectors sometimes gives you a VECTOR quantity which we call
Multiplication)
the VECTOR CROSS PRODUCT.
In polar notation consider 2 vectors:
A = |A| < 1 & B = |B| < 2
The cross product between A and B
produces a VECTOR quantity. The
magnitude of the vector product is defined
as:
Where is the NET angle between the two
vectors. As shown in the figure.

The Vector Cross Product

A B A B sin 12 5 sin 150

A B 30k

What about the direction???? Positive k-hat???

We can use what is called the RIGHT HAND
THUMB RULE.
Fingers are the first vector, A
Palm is the second vector, B
Thumb is the direction of the cross product.
Cross your fingers, A, towards, B so that they
CURL. The direction it moves will be either
clockwise (NEGATIVE) or counter clockwise
(POSITIVE)

In our example, the thumb points OUTWARD which is the Z axis and thus our
answer would be 30 k-hat since the curl moves counter clockwise.

Cross Products and Unit

The cross product between B and A
Vectors
produces a VECTOR of which a 3x3 matrix
is need to evaluate the magnitude and
direction.

B A Bx

By

Bz

Ax

Ay

Az

You start by making a 3x3

matrix with 3 columns, one
for i, j, & k-hat. The
components then go under
each appropriate column.

Since B is the first vector it comes first in the matrix

Cross Products and Unit

You then make an X in the columns
OTHER THAN the unit vectors you are
Vectors

i
j
k working with.
B A Bx
Ax

By
Ay

For i , cross j x k

z For j , cross i x k
For k , cross i x j

B
Az

Lets start with the i-hat vector: We cross j x k

i ( B y Az ) ( Bz Ay )

Now the j-hat vector: We cross i x k

j ( Bz Ax ) ( Bx Az )

Now the k-hat vector: We cross i x j

k ( Bx Ay ) ( B y Ax )

Example

Lets start with the i-hat vector: We cross j x k

Now the j-hat vector: We cross i x k

Now the k-hat vector: We cross i x j
The final answer would be:

i (4)(5) (6)(4) 44

j (6)(3) (2)(5) 8
k (2)(4) (4)(3) 20

B A 44i 8 j 20k

The significance of the cross

product
In this figure, vector A has been split
into 2 components, one PARALLEL to
vector B and one PERPENDICULAR to
vector B. Notice that the component
perpendicular to vector B has a
magnitude of |A|sin

THEREFORE when you find the CROSS PRODUCT, the result is:
i) The MAGNITUDE of one vector, in this case |B| and,
ii) The MAGNITUDE of the 2nd vector's component that runs
perpendicular to the first vector. ( that is where the sine
comes from)

Cross Products in Physics

There are many cross products in physics. You will see the matrix
system when you learn to analyze circuits with multiple batteries. The
cross product system will also be used in mechanics (rotation) as well
as understanding the behavior of particles in magnetic fields.
A force F is applied to a wrench a
displacement r from a specific point of
rotation (ie. a bolt).
Common sense will tell us the larger r
is the easier it will be to turn the bolt.
But which part of F actually causes the wrench to turn? |F| Sin

A B A B sin

F r F r sin

Cross Products in Physics

A B A B sin

F r F r sin
What about the DIRECTION?

Which way will the wrench turn?

Counter Clockwise

Is the turning direction positive or negative?

Positive

Which way will the BOLT move? IN or OUT of the page?

OUT

You have to remember that cross products give you a direction on the
OTHER axis from the 2 you are crossing. So if r is on the x-axis and F is
on the y-axis, the cross products direction is on the z-axis. In this case, a
POSITIVE k-hat.

Cross products using the TIA r 0.30m

Lets clear the stored variables
89
in the TI-89
B F 5N
B A?

Since r is ONLY on
the x-axis, it ONLY has
an i-hat value. Enter,
zeros for the other unit
vectors.
Using CATALOG, find
crossP from the
menu.
Cross BxA, then AxB

Look at the answers

carefully! Crossing BxA
shows that we have a
direction on the z-axis.
Since it is negative it
rotates CW. This
means the BOLT is
being tightened or
moves IN to the page.
Crossing AxB, causes
the bolt to loosen as it
moves OUT of the
page