Working With Vectors

Advanced application
 Applications
• Pilots have to be aware of wind speed
and direction when landing, taking off
and during flight.
• The flight time from Toronto to Winnipeg
is different from the flight time from
Winnipeg to Toronto
• Ferry captains must be aware of water
currents
 Vector Basics

• A vector quantity can be represented as

an arrow.
– The length of the arrow is proportionate to
the magnitude of the quantity
– The direction of the arrow points in the
direction of the quantity
 Vector Angles
• The direction of a vector can be
references according to a compass rose.

This vector is:

N [55o N of E]
or
W E [35o E of N]

S
 Vector Addition

• When adding vector quantities, a vector

diagram must be used to determine the
resultant.

v2
  
v1  v2  R 
v1

R
 Rules for Vector Addition

• Triangle Law
– Place vectors “tip-to-tail”
– Resultant goes from tail 
v2
of the first to the tip of
the second

v1 
R
 Resultant Displacement using
vector diagrams
• Draw the first scaled vector in magnitude and direction
• Draw the tail of the second scaled vector at the head of
the first.
• Draw the resultant vector (the total displacement) from
the tail of the first to the tip of the second vector in
direction.
• Measure the resultant vector and use your scale to
convert.
• Write the magnitude and direction of the resultant vector.
 Example 3
Use a scale diagram to determine the resultant displacement of a runner that runs 4.8 km [41 ̊ N
of E] and then 7.5km [E 17 ̊S].
• Scale 1 cm = 1 km ⃗
∆ 𝑑 2=7.5 𝑘𝑚 [ 𝐸 17 ° 𝑆 ]

∆⃗
𝑑𝑇

70

∆⃗
𝑑 𝑇 =11 𝑘𝑚 ¿
 EXAMPLE 4
A snowboarder travels 200.0 m [W
28 ̊ N] and then turns and goes 150.0
m [E 49 ̊ N] . Use a scale diagram to
determine the snowboarder’s
resultant displacement.
∆⃗
𝒅𝑻

20 °

Scale 1 cm = 25 m
Length of resultant displacement =
8.9 cm

Resultant displacement = 223 m [N

200W]
 Rules for Vector Addition

• Parallelogram Law
– Place vectors “tail-to-tail”
– Draw additional lines to
complete the
parallelogram

– Resultant goes across v1 
the parallelogram from R
the tails

v2
Order of Vectors
   
A B  B  A

B

A 
A

B
Adding Multiple Vectors
   
A B C  D

 C
B 
 D
A


R
 Example 1

A car drives 19.0km [S] and then

9.0km [E]. What is the resultant
displacement of the car?

Step 1: Draw a proper vector

diagram
 𝜃
∆⃗𝑑1 ∆⃗
𝑑𝑇 Applying Pythagoras theorem to
⃗
∆ 𝑑 1=19 𝑘𝑚[ 𝑆 ] calculate the magnitude;

∆⃗
𝑑2
∆⃗
𝑑1

Calculate the angle for the direction

∆⃗
𝑑2
∆⃗
𝑑 2=9 . 0 𝑘𝑚 [𝐸 ]

Resultant displacement
is 21 km[S 250 E]
 Trigonometry Tools

• Sine Law
Trigonometry Tools
– Cosine Law
 Example
A boat sails 5.0 km [N45oW]. It then changes
direction and sails 7.0 km [W 55oS]. Where
does the boat end up with reference to its
starting point?
 N

W E
Apply Cosine rule:
550
∆ ⃗𝑑 1
0
S
80
Apply Cosine rule: N
∆ ⃗𝑑 2
450
𝜑
W
E
∆ ⃗𝑑 𝑇
S

𝑑𝑇 = √ 61845 𝑘𝑚2=7.864 𝑘𝑚
⃗

Apply sine Rule

0 0 0
𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒= 61 − 45 =16
Displacement is 7.9 km [W 160 S]
 Vector Components

• Any vector in a plane can be resolved

into two rectangular components (most
commonly chosen to be the X and Y
axis of the Cartesian plane)
 Vector Components

 
A Ay

 x
Ax
 Vector Components

  
A  Ax  Ay

 A
Ay


Ax
 Vector Components

• The magnitudes of Ax and Ay may be

determined using trigonometry and the
angle (Ɵ) between A and the x-axis.
 Vector Components

y
Recall,
opp
sin  
hyp
 
Ay
A 
sin   
Ay A

Ɵ  
 x Ay  A sin 
Ax
 Vector Components

y
Recall,
adj
cos  
hyp
 
Ax
A 
cos   
Ay A

Ɵ  
 x Ax  A cos
Ax
 Vector Components
If you have the components of the vector
y the resultant can be found .
A2  Ax2  Ay2

 
A  Ax2  Ay2
A Ay
Ay
tan  
Ax
Ɵ
 x
Ax
 Multiple Vectors
For more than one vector, sum the x-
components and sum the y-components.

Rx  A x  B x  C x
⃗
𝐵
⃗
𝐶
Ry  A y  B y  C y

⃗
𝐴 R R R
2 2
x
2
y
 Components of a vector
• In the previous example you added two
perpendicular vectors to obtain one vector
called the resultant.
• The vector along the horizontal is called the
x-component of the resultant vector.
• The vector along the vertical is called the y-
component of the resultant.
• A single vector can be broken into
components or components combined to
form a single vector.
 Directions

Example 1: Set up the directions in

What are the the same way as a y-
components of axis versus x-axis
a vector 30.0 m graph
• E is “+” x-component
[E 250 N]
• W is “-” x-component
• N is “+” y-component
• S is “-” y-component
Component Directions:
 Example 1
What are the
components
[N]
of a vector
30.0 m [E 250 ∆ ⃗
𝑑
N] ∆ 𝑑𝑦
25 °
x[W] [E]
∆ 𝑑𝑥

906
[N] [E]
[S]
 Components Method of
Vector Addition
1. Draw vectors from the origin of Cartesian
coordinate system
2. Break vector into components
2. Solve for total X-component.
3. Solve for total Y-component.
4. Use Pythagorean theorem to get the
magnitude of the resultant.
5. Use tangent ratio to get the angle of the
direction.
 A car drives 19.0km [W 30 ̊ N] and then goes
9.0km [N 10 ̊ E] What is the resultant displacement
of the car using the components method?
vector X-components Y-
components
[N]

16.345 km [W]
∆⃗
𝑑1 -16.345 km
km [N]
∆⃗
𝑑2 9.5 km
∆ 𝑑1 𝑦 10 °
∆ 𝑑2 𝑦
30 ° 80 °
∆ 𝑑1 𝑥 [E]
[W] ∆ 𝑑2 𝑥 km[E] km [N]
1.566 km 8.865 km
[S]
 [N]

∆⃗
𝑑𝑇
18.365
km 𝜃
[E]
[W]
14.779km
[S]

Resultant displacement is 23.6 km [W 510 N]

Vector Subtraction-Negative
Vectors 
 B
A 
A 
B

The negative vector has the same

magnitude but opposite direction
 Subtraction of Vectors
   
 
Use vector addition rules: Add the

A B  A  B
negative of vector


B

A  
B  A
R

B
 Example-change in velocity &
acceleration
• A car moving along the road at 5.0 m/s [E
65.00 N] turns into at driveway. After turning for
4.0 s, the car is travels at 5.0 m/s [E 15.0 0 N].
Calculate the acceleration of the car during the
turn.

• Calculate the change in velocity.

 Example-change in velocity &
acceleration

0 0 0 Apply Cosine rule:

𝜃=65.0 −15.0 =25.0 ⃗
𝒗𝒊
N

65.00
W 𝟎
𝟏𝟓 E

N
⃗
𝒗𝒇 𝜽
S
−⃗
𝒗𝒊 𝜃=50
0
W 15.0𝝋 0

S
∆ ⃗𝒗

0
⃗
∆ 𝑣 = 4.2 𝑚 [ 𝐸 50.0 𝑆 ]
 Example-change in velocity &
acceleration
•