Vectors

Topics
1. Coordinate Systems
2. Vector and Scalar Quantities
3. Basic Vector Arithmetic
4. Components of a Vector and Unit Vectors
Thinker Bell

What is a Coordinate System?

 In our study of physics, we
often need to work with physical
quantities that have both
numerical and directional
properties which are noted as
vector quantities
In two dimensions, this
description is accomplished with
the use of the Cartesian coordinate
system, in which perpendicular
axes intersect at a point defined as
the origin O. Cartesian coordinates
are also called rectangular
coordinates.
 Sometimes it is more
convenient to represent a point
in a plane by its plane polar
coordinates (r, Ѳ)
In this polar coordinate
system, r is the distance from the
origin to the point having
Cartesian coordinates (x, y) and
Ѳ is the angle between a fixed
axis and a line drawn from the
origin to the point. The fixed axis
is often the positive x axis, and Ѳ
is usually measured
counterclockwise from +x axis.
Triangle Analysis
• starting with the plane polar • starting with the Cartesian
coordinates of any point, we coordinates of any point, we
can obtain the Cartesian can obtain the plane polar
coordinates by using the coordinates by using the
equations equations

𝑥 = 𝑟𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑦
𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 =
𝑦 = 𝑟𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑥

𝑟 = 𝑥2 + 𝑦2
The Cartesian coordinates of a point in
the xy plane are (x, y) are (-3.50, -2.50)
m. Show the graph and find the polar
coordinates of this point
A cross-country skier skis 1.00 km north
and then 2.00 km east on a horizontal
snowfield. How far and in what direction
is she from the starting point?
Two points in a plane have polar
coordinates (2.50 m, 30.0°) and (3.80 m,
120.0°). Determine
(a) the Cartesian coordinates of these
points
(b) Graph the cartesian coordinates on
scale and measure using a ruler the
magnitude of r for each polar
coordinates
Thinker Bell

What is the difference between

Scalar and Vector Quantities?
 Vector and Scalar Quantities
A scalar quantity is completely specified by a single value with an
appropriate unit and has no direction.

A vector quantity is completely specified by a number with an

appropriate unit (the magnitude of the vector) plus a direction.
Another example of a vector
quantity is displacement.
Suppose a particle moves from
some point A to some point B
along a straight path. We
represent this displacement by
drawing an arrow from A to B,
with the tip of the arrow
pointing away from the starting
point. The direction of the
arrowhead represents the
direction of the displacement,
and the length of the arrow
represents the magnitude of the
displacement.
If the particle travels along some
other path from A to B such as
shown by the broken line in
Figure, its displacement is still
the arrow drawn from A to B.
Displacement depends only on
the initial and final positions, so
the displacement vector is
independent of the path taken
by the particle between these
two points.
 Properties of Vectors
Equality of Vectors
For many purposes, two vectors
A and B may be defined to be
equal if they have the same
magnitude and if they point in
the same direction along parallel
lines.
Adding Vectors
To add vector B to vector A, first
draw vector A on graph paper,
with its magnitude represented
by a convenient length scale, and
then draw vector B to the same
scale, with its tail starting from
the tip of A. The resultant vector
R = A + B is the vector drawn
from the tail of A to the tip of B.
A car travels 20.0 km due north and then
35.0 km in a direction 60.0° west of
north . Find the magnitude and direction
of the car’s resultant displacement.
The displacement vectors 𝐴Ԧ and 𝐵 shown
both have magnitudes of 3.00 m. The
direction of vector 𝐴Ԧ is Ѳ = 30.0° and 𝐵 is
due north. Find graphically
(a) 𝐴Ԧ + 𝐵 ,
(b) 𝐴Ԧ + 2𝐵 . (Report all angles
counterclockwise from the positive x axis.)
A geometric construction can
also be used to add more than
two vectors. The resultant vector
R = A + B + C + D is the vector
that completes the polygon. In
other words, R is the vector
drawn from the tail of the first
vector to the tip of the last
vector. This technique for adding
vectors is often called the “head
to tail method.”
When two vectors are added, the
sum is independent of the order
of the addition. This property,
which can be seen from the
geometric construction is known
as the commutative law of
addition
When three or more vectors are
added, their sum is independent
of the way in which the
individual vectors are grouped
together. This property is called
the associative law of addition:
Negative of a Vector
The negative of the vector A is defined as the vector that when added
to A gives zero for the vector sum. That is, A + - A = 0. The vectors A
and
- A have the same magnitude but point in opposite directions.
Subtracting Vectors
The operation of vector subtraction makes use of the definition of
the negative of a vector. We define the operation A - B as vector - B
added to vector A :
Another way of looking at vector
subtraction is to notice that the
difference A - B between two
vectors A and B is what you have
to add to the second vector to
obtain the first. In this case, the
vector A - B points from the tip
of the second vector to the tip of
the first.
Multiplying a Vector by a Scalar
If vector A is multiplied by a positive scalar quantity m, the product
mA is a vector that has the same direction as A and magnitude mA.
If vector A is multiplied by a negative scalar quantity 2m, the
product 2m A is directed opposite A. For example, the vector 5A is
five times as long as A and points in the same direction as A;
1
the vector - A is one-third the length of A and points in the
3
direction opposite
A roller-coaster car moves 200 ft horizontally and then rises 135
ft at an angle of 30.0° above the horizontal. It next travels 135 ft
at an angle of 40.0° downward. What is its displacement from its
starting point? Use graphical techniques. Check the results using
properties of Vectors.
Components of a Vector and Unit Vectors
In this section, we describe a method of adding vectors that makes
use of the projections of vectors along coordinate axes. These
projections are called the components of the vector or its
rectangular components.
Consider a vector 𝐴Ԧ lying in the
xy plane and making an
arbitrary angle Ѳ with the
positive x axis as shown in
Figure. This vector can be
expressed as the sum of two
other component vectors 𝐴𝑥,
which is parallel to the x axis,
and 𝐴𝑦, which is parallel to the y
axis.
The component Ax is positive if
the component vector Ax points
in the positive x direction and is
negative if Ax points in the
negative x direction. A similar
statement is made for the
component Ay.
The three vectors form a right
triangle and that 𝐴Ԧ = 𝐴𝑥 + 𝐴𝑦.
We shall often refer to the
“components of a vector A,”
written 𝐴𝑥 and 𝐴𝑦. The
component 𝐴𝑥 represents the
projection of A along the x axis,
and the component 𝐴𝑦
represents the projection of A
along the y axis.
A disoriented English professor drives
3.52 km north, then 2.09 km west, and
then 1.05 km south. Find the magnitude
and direction of the resultant
displacement, using the method of
component.
Three horizontal ropes pull on a large
stone stuck in the ground, producing the
vector forces, and shown in the figure.
Find the magnitude and direction of a
fourth force on the stone that will make
the vector sum of the four forces zero.
 Unit Vectors
A unit vector is a dimensionless vector having a magnitude of
exactly 1. Unit vectors are used to specify a given direction and have
no other physical significance. They are used solely as a
bookkeeping convenience in describing a direction in space.

We shall use the symbols 𝑖Ƹ , 𝑗Ƹ , and 𝑘෠ to represent unit vectors

pointing in the positive x, y, and z directions, respectively. (The
“hats,” or circumflexes, on the symbols are a standard notation for
unit vectors.)
The unit vectors and 𝑖Ƹ , 𝑗Ƹ , 𝑘෠ form
a set of mutually perpendicular
vectors in a right-handed
coordinate system as shown in
Figure. The magnitude of each
unit vector equals 1; that is:
Consider a vector 𝐴Ԧ lying in the
xy plane as shown in Figure. The
product of the component Ax
and the unit vector î is the
component vector Ax = Ax î,
which lies on the x axis and has
magnitude|Ax|. Likewise, Ay =
Ay ĵ is the component vector of
magnitude |Ay| lying on the y
axis. Therefore, the unit-vector
notation for the vector A is:
For example, consider a point
lying in the xy plane and having
Cartesian coordinates (x, y) as in
Figure. The point can be
specified by the position vector r,
which in unit-vector form is
given by
 Adding Vectors
Suppose we wish to add vector B
to vector A, where vector B has
components Bx and By. Because
of the bookkeeping convenience
of the unit vectors, all we do is
add the x and y components
separately. The resultant vector
R=A + B is;
Because R=Rx î +Ry ĵ, we see
that the components of the
resultant vector are:

Therefore, we see that in the

component method of adding
vectors, we add all the x
components together to find the
x component of the resultant
vector and use the same process
for the y components.
The magnitude of R and the
angle it makes with the x axis are
obtained from its components
using the relationships:
 Adding Motion in 3 Component
Directions
The extension of our methods to
three-dimensional vectors is
straightforward. If A and B both
have x, y, and z components, they
can be expressed in the form
The sum of A and B is:
 𝑅𝑥
The angle Ѳx that R makes with the x • 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃𝑥 =
𝑅
axis is found from the expression 𝑅𝑦
cosѲx = Rx/R, with similar expressions • 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃𝑦 =
𝑅
for the angles with respect to the y and • 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃𝑧 =
𝑅𝑧
z axes. 𝑅
Find the sum of two displacement
vectors A and B lying in the xy plane and
given by A = (2.0 î + 2.0 ĵ) m and B = (2.0
î - 4.0 ĵ) m
A particle undergoes three consecutive
displacements:

Find unit-vector notation for the

resultant displacement and its
magnitude
 Seatwork
Two points in the xy plane have A roller-coaster car moves 200 ft
Cartesian coordinates (2.00, horizontally and then rises 135
-4.00) m and (-3.00, 3.00) m. ft at an angle of 30.0° above the
Determine horizontal. It next travels 135 ft
(a) the distance between these at an angle of 40.0° downward.
points and What is its displacement from its
starting point? Use graphical
(b) their polar coordinates. techniques. Check the results
using properties of Vectors.
A hiker begins a trip by first walking 25.0 km southeast from her
car. She stops and sets up her tent for the night. On the second day,
she walks 40.0 km in a direction 60.0° north of east, at which point
she discovers a forest ranger’s tower.
(A)Determine the components of the hiker’s displacement for each
day
(B)Determine the components of the hiker’s resultant
displacement R S for the trip. Find an expression for R S in
terms of unit vectors.