CHAPTER 02

SCALAR & VECTORS

Scalar:
Physical quantities that can be specified by only a number(magnitude) without any direction having
appropriate units are scalars. e.g. time, mass etc.

Vectors:
Physical quantities require both magnitude and direction to be specified with appropriate units are
vectors, e.g velocity, force etc.

Scalars Vectors
distance, speed, mass, density work, displacement. velocity, acceleration,
power, energy, (heat & electricity chapter) force, weight, torque,
electric potential, EMF. Electric flux, momentum angular momentum,
magnetic flux, (S.T Units) electric field intensity flux density,
Pressure, stress magnetic induction

ADDITION OF VECTORS
Vectors can be added by graphical or geometrical method.

Head to Tail Rule:

Two or more vectors can be added such that head of one vector coincides with the tail of the other and
the resultant is obtained by joining the tail of the first vector and the head of the last one. This method
of vector addition is “head to tail rule”.

Parallelogram Law Method:

If two vectors originate from a common point, then we consider them two adjacent sides of a
parallelogram. The parallelogram is completed and the diagonal of the parallelogram gives the resultant
of the two vectors. This is known as parallelogram Law.

Law of Cosine:
Magnitude of resultant can be obtain by
Then the resultant |𝑅⃗| = √𝐴2 + 𝐵2 + 2𝐴𝐵𝐶𝑜𝑠𝜃
Where A & B are the vectors & 𝜃 is the angle b/w them.
When two vectors are perpendicular to each other. 𝑅2 = 𝐴2 + 𝐵2 (Pythagoras theorem)
If the angle b/w two vectors is 0°, vectors are simply added and their resultant be maximum.
If the angle b/w two vectors is 180° vectors are simply subtracted and their resultant be minimum.

Rectangular component method:

𝑅 = √(𝐴𝑥 + 𝐵𝑥 + 𝐶𝑥 +. . . . . . . )2 + (𝐴𝑦 + 𝐵𝑦 + 𝐶𝑦 +. . . . . . )2
Where R denotes resultant while 𝐴𝑥 , 𝐵𝑥 , 𝐶𝑥 & 𝐴𝑦 , 𝐵𝑦 , 𝐶𝑦 are the rectangular components of vector A, B
& C.
𝐴𝑦 +𝐵𝑦 + 𝐶𝑦 +......
and 𝜃 = 𝑡𝑎𝑛−1
𝐴𝑥+𝐵𝑥 + 𝐶𝑥 +.......
Types of Vectors:

Unit Vector:
The vector having unity magnitude and indicates direction only.
𝐴
𝑎̂ = 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 |𝐴| = √𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑦 2 + 𝐴𝑧 2
|𝐴|
& 𝐴 = 𝐴𝑥 𝑖̂ + 𝐴𝑦 𝑗̂ + 𝐴𝑧 𝑘̂

Negative Vector:
Negative of a vector is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction.

Position Vector:
Vector that specifies the position of a point war.t origin is position vector.
Its magnitude is 𝑟 = √𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑧 2 & 𝑟 = 𝑥𝑖̂ + 𝑦𝑗̂ + 𝑧𝑘̂

Free Vector:
Vector that can be displaced parallel to itself and applied at any point.

Null Vector:
A vector with zero magnitude & no specified direction.
𝑟 = 3𝑡 2 𝑖̂ + 4𝑡 2 𝑗̂ + 7𝑘̂ ,

Dot Product or Scalar Product:

If multiplication of two vectors gives a ‘scalar' as results, the product is 'scalar' or 'dot' product. The dot
product of two vectors A & B is 𝐴. 𝐵 = 𝐴𝐵 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝜃

Properties of dot product:

If A parallel to 𝐵 ⃗ i.e. 𝜃 = 0° 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝐴. 𝐵⃗ = 𝐴𝐵
then Ā. B = AB
The dot product of A with itself equal to 𝐴. 𝐴 = 𝐴2
𝑖̂. 𝑖̂ = 𝑗̂. 𝑗̂ = 𝑘̂. 𝑘̂ = 1
If 𝐴 ⊥ 𝐵 i.e. 𝜃 = 90° then 𝐴. 𝐵 = 0
The unit vector 𝑖. 𝑗. 𝑘 are perpendicular to one another, therefore
𝑖̂. 𝑗̂ = 𝑗̂. 𝑘̂ = 𝑘̂. 𝑖̂ = 0
If one of them is a null vector, then 𝐴. 𝐵⃗ = 0
Distributive property
𝐴. (𝐵 ⃗ + 𝐶 ) = (𝐴. 𝐵 ⃗ ) + (𝐴. 𝐶 )
Scalar product in terms of rectangular components
𝐴. 𝐵 ⃗ = 𝐴𝑥 𝐵𝑥 + 𝐴𝑦 𝐵𝑦 + 𝐴𝑧 𝐵𝑧

Cross or Vector Product:

The multiplication of two vectors which gives a "vector' as a result is called cross' or vector Product. The
cross product of two vectors 𝐴 & 𝐵⃗ is 𝐴𝑋𝐵
⃗ = 𝐴𝐵𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑟
If 𝐴𝑋𝐵⃗ = 𝐶 then the direction of 𝐶 can be determined by the right hand rule.
Properties of cross product:
If 𝜃 = 0° then 𝐴𝑋𝐵⃗ = 0 (Vector are parallel). self product 𝐴𝑋𝐴 = 0
The cross product of two same unit vectors 𝑖̂𝑋𝑖̂ = 𝑗̂𝑋𝑗̂ = 𝑘̂𝑋𝑘̂ = 0
If 𝜃 = 90° then 𝐴𝑋𝐵 ⃗ = 𝐴𝐵 (Vector areperpendicular)
The cross product of two different units vectors
𝑖̂𝑋𝑗̂ = 𝑘̂ , 𝑗̂𝑋𝑘̂ = 𝑖̂, 𝑘̂𝑋𝑖̂ = 𝑗̂ & 𝑗̂𝑋𝑖̂ = −𝑘̂ , 𝑘̂ 𝑋𝑗̂ = −𝑖̂, 𝑖̂𝑋𝑘̂ = −𝑗̂

𝐴𝑋𝐵⃗ = −𝐵 ⃗ 𝑋𝐴 (product not commutative)

𝐴𝑋(𝐵⃗ + 𝐶 ) = 𝐴𝑋𝐵 ⃗ = +𝐴𝑋𝐶 (vectors product is distributive)
Vector product in terms of rectangular components
𝑖 𝑗 𝑘
𝐴𝑋𝐵⃗ = |𝐴𝑥 𝐴𝑦 𝐴𝑧 |
𝐵𝑥 𝐵𝑦 𝐵𝑧
The area of parallelogram can be obtain by |𝐴𝑋𝐵⃗|
1
⃗|
area of triangle can be obtained by 2 |𝐴𝑋𝐵