Vectors

1 Coordinate Systems
Used to describe the position of a point
in space
Coordinate system consists of
A fixed reference point called the
origin
Specific axes with scales and labels
Instructions on how to label a point
relative to the origin and the axes
1 Coordinate Systems
Cartesian coordinate system
(Also called rectangular coordinate
system)
x- and y-axes intersect at the origin
Points are labeled (x,y)
르네 데카르트 (1596 년 3 월 31 일 - 1650 년 2 월 11 일 ) 코기토 에르고 숨 ( 라틴어 )
프랑스의 물리학자 , 근대 철학의 아버지

(8) 뉴턴 vs 라이프니치의 미적분 이야기 | 문명과 수학

- YouTube
1 Coordinate Systems
Polar coordinate
system
Origin and reference
line are noted
Point is distance r
from the origin in
the direction of
angle θ, ccw from
reference line
Points are labeled
(r,θ)
1 Coordinate Systems
Form a right triangle,
with hypotenuse r

θ must be ccw from

positive x axis for
these equations to be
valid
2 Vectors and Scalars
A scalar is a quantity that is
completely specified by a positive or
negative number with an appropriate
unit and has no direction
Examples: temperature, volume, mass,
time intervals
Rules of ordinary arithmetic are used to
manipulate scalar quantities
2 Vectors and Scalars
A vector is a physical quantity that
must be described by a magnitude
(number) and appropriate units plus a
direction
Examples: velocity, acceleration, force,
momentum
2 Vectors and Scalars
A particle travels
from A to B (dotted
red line)
This is the distance
traveled and is a
scalar
The displacement:
solid line from A to B
The displacement is
independent of the
path taken between
the two points
Displacement is a
vector
2 Vectors and Scalars
If a particle moves along the x axis from
position xi to position xf , its displacement is
given by xf − xi
The indices i and f refer to the initial and final
values
delta (Δ) denotes the change in a quantity
Displacement:
Δx is positive if xf is greater than xi and negative if
xf is less than xi
2 Vectors and Scalars
3 Some Properties of Vectors
Equality of two vectors:
Two vectors are
equal if they have
the same magnitude
and the same
direction
⋅ A = B if A = B and they
point along parallel lines
So long as the length
and orientation of a
vector are preserved,
it can be shifted from
one position to
another
3. Some Properties of Vectors
Vector addition, graphical Method:
3 Some Properties of Vectors
3 Some Properties of Vectors
When you have
many vectors,
just keep
repeating the
process until all
are included
The resultant is
still drawn from
the origin of the
first vector to the
end of the last
vector
3 Some Properties of Vectors
When two vectors
are added, the
sum is
independent of
the order of the
addition
This is the
commutative
A + Bof
law = Baddition
+A
3 Some Properties of Vectors
When adding three or
more vectors, their
sum is independent
of the way in which
the individual vectors
are grouped
This is called the
Associative
Property of Addition

( )( )
A + B+ C = A +B + C
3 Some Properties of Vectors
When adding vectors, all of the vectors
must have the same units
All of the vectors must be of the same
type of quantity
For example, you cannot add a
displacement to a velocity
3 Some Properties of Vectors
The negative of a vector:
The negative of a vector is defined as
the vector that, when added to the
original vector, gives a resultant of zero
⋅ Represented as: − A
A + (− A
The negative of)=a0vector will have the
same magnitude, but point in the
opposite direction
3 Some Properties of Vectors
Subtraction of
vectors:
Special case of
vector addition:

Continue with
standard vector
addition procedure
3 Some Properties of Vectors
Multiplication of a vector by a
scalar:
If a vector A is multiplied by a positive scalar quantity s,
the product sA is a vector that has the same direction
as A and magnitude sA
If s is a negative scalar quantity, the vector sA is directed
opposite to A
The vector 5A is five times longer than A and has the
same direction
1
the vector − A has one-third the magnitude of A and
3
points in the direction opposite of A
3 Some Properties of Vectors
Multiplication of two vectors:
Two vectors can be multiplied in two
different ways:
One is the scalar product:
A ⋅ B = AB cosθ
Also called the dot product
The other is the vector product:
Also called the cross product A × B = AB sinθ
These products will be discussed as
they arise in the text
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
Components of a
vector are the
projections of the
vector along the x-
and y-axes

In the figure, the components

of vector A are:
A x (along the x axis)
A y (along the y axis)
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
The y-component
is moved to the
end of the x-
component
any vector can be
moved parallel to
itself without
being affected
This completes
the triangle
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
The components can be positive or
negative and will have the same units as
the original vector
The signs of the components will depend on
the angle Quadra
nt
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
A unit vector is a dimensionless vector
with a magnitude of exactly 1
Unit vectors are used to specify a
direction and have no other physical
significance
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
The symbols î, ĵ, and k̂
represent unit vectors in
the x, y, and
They z directions
form a set of
mutually
perpendicular
vectors
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
The vector A expressed in unit notation is A = Ax î + Ay ĵ
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
To add vector B to vector A,
use components:
R = A +B
( ) ( )
= Ax + Bx î + Ay + By ĵ
This means:
Rx = Ax + Bx
Ry = Ay + By
4 Components of a Vector and Unit
Vectors
Example 1.6 The Sum of Two Vectors
Find the sum of two displacement vectors
given by
Obtain the resultant vector:
Evaluate the components of the resultant:
Find the magnitude:
Find the direction:
Example 1.7 The Resultant
Displacement
A particle undergoes three consecutive
displacements:

Find unit-vector notation for the resultant

displacement and its magnitude
Add the three vectors:

Find the magnitude of the resultant vector:

Example 1.8 Take a Hike
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 degree 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

Find the components of each vector:

Example 1.8 Take a Hike
(B) Determine the components of the hiker’s resultant
displacement for the trip, in terms of unit vectors.

Find the components of the resultant vector:

Write the total displacement in unit-vector form:

Example 1.9 Finding the Height of a
Tree
You wish to find the height of a tree but cannot
measure it directly. You stand 50.0 m from the
tree and determine that a line of sight from the
ground to the top of the tree makes an angle of
25.08° with the ground. How tall is the tree?
Superpose a right triangle over the sketch, and use
properties of right triangles to solve the problem: