Vector Addition Chapter 3 – Part 1

Vectors represent magnitude and direction Vectors vs. scalars? Vectors can be added graphically A student walks from his house to his friend’s house (a), then from his friend’s house to the school (b). The student’s resultant displacement (c) can be found by using a ruler and a protractor.

Vectors represent magnitude and direction To add vectors – draw “tip to tail” (these are the component vectors) Resultant vector is sum (think “as the crow flies” A student walks from his house to his friend’s house (a), then from his friend’s house to the school (b). The student’s resultant displacement (c) can be found by using a ruler and a protractor.

Vectors can be manipulated graphically To add vectors - pythagorean theorem Vector resolution – use trig functions

The Pythagorean Theorem Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of the resultant vector.

Trigonometric Functions Use trig functions to find the magnitude of any vector.

Resolving Vectors into Components Consider an airplane flying at 95 km/h. Hypotenuse = resultant vector Adjacent leg = x component Opposite leg = y component