VECTOR & SCALAR QUANTITY

LESSON 2
Week 3
A vector is represented by an
arrow: the length represents the
magnitude & the head of the arrow
indicates the direction; the tail
represents the origin.

Draw the following vector:

1. 100 N east
2. 50 N 30° north of east
3. 20 m west
4. 9.8 m/s2 downward
5. 80 m/s along the negative y-axis
• Scalar quantities may be added using simple arithmetic

50 m east

40 m north 40 m south

50 m west

• The distance that Junior traveled is the sum of the path he had taken from
his house going to school and back = 180 meters.
• Take note that distance is a scalar quantity and the magnitudes can simply
be added as long ad they have the same unit, regardless of the direction.
• Distance – is the length of the actual paths travelled.

• Displacement – is the length and direction of the change in

position measured from the starting point.
• It is a vector quantity.

• If we are to follow the magnitude and direction of Junior

on his way to school and back, the displacement vector
would be zero. Why?
• Because the starting position and the end position are the same.
• The 40 meters north cancels the 40 meters south being exactly just
opposite to one another.
• In the same way, the 50 meters east cancels the 50 meters west.
• Addition of vectors must be done by considering their
directions.

Quadrant II Quadrant I
(-x, +y) (+x, +y)

W E

Quadrant III Quadrant IV

(-x, -y) (+x, -y)

S
The direction guide: North, The Cartesian coordinates
South, East & West
• The direction guide shows that north is represented by an
arrow along the positive y-axis, south is an arrow along the
negative y-axis, east is an arrow along the positive x-axis,
and west is an arrow along the negative x-axis.
• Using this direction guide, we can add or subtract vectors
that belong to the same axis.
• It means that we cannot add or subtract 30 meters north
and 40 meters east simply because they belong to different
axis.
• The y-axis is totally independent of the x-axis and vice versa.
 How to Find Distance and Displacement

• Three dogs, Prince, Cute & Jup start from the same point O.
Prince went 3 m North, & then 4.0 m west. Cute went 5 m
east, & Jup went around the circular path of diameter 2 m.
Determine (a) the distance travelled by each dog and (b) the
displacement of each dog from point O.
 Solution:
Prince 4 m (a) 1. Prince: 3 m + 4 m = 7 m

2. Cute: 5 m
3m
O
5m Cute 3. Jup: Distance = 𝜋d
Jup = 3.1416 (2m)
= 6.28 m

2m (b) 1. displacement = 3.0𝑚2 + 4.0𝑚2

= 5.0 m 53° west of
north

2. displacement = 5.0 m east

3. zero displacement
 Exercises:
• Find the distance traveled and the displacement of the
following vectors.

1. 40 m due north and 30 m due east

2. 6 m due south, 10 m due east, and 5 m due north

3. 20 m to the west, 5 m to the south, and 10 m to the east.

 Resultant Vector
• Two or more vectors can be represented by a single
vector called the resultant vector.
• This vector may be found by using
• The graphical method
• The Pythagorian Theorem
• The component method
• How to draw a vector?
2.5 cm North
• Example: A ship sailing 25 km north. Plot this vector by
using a convenient scale. Since 25 km is a very large
quantity, it will be convenient for us to use the scale 1 cm is
to 10 km.
1𝑐𝑚
• 25𝑘𝑚 ×
10𝑘𝑚
= 2.5 cm
• The graph shows an arrow of length 2.5 cm going
north.
 Graphical Method
• Josh was observing an ant that crawled
along a tabletop. With a piece of chalk, he
followed its path. He determined the ant’s
displacement by using a ruler and
protractor. The displacements were as
follows: 2 cm east; 3.5 cm, 32° north of
east; and 2.3 cm, 22° west of north. Draw
the resultant vector. 22°

• Given: d1 = 2 cm east; d2 = 3.5 cm north

of east; d3 = 2.3 cm west of north
• Required to find: dR = resultant
displacement vector
• Solution: Use the graphical method of
solving for the resultant vector. To draw 46° 32°
the vector diagram, use the scale 1 cm is d1
1 cm. Answer: dR = 5.8 cm, 46° N of E
• The order in which displacement vectors are taken does not
affect the value of the resultant displacement vector.
Steps in the graphical method:
1. Choose an appropriate scale and coordinate system for the given vectors.
2. Draw the first vector starting from the origin of the coordinate system.
3. Draw the second vector starting from the head of the first vector.
4. Proceed to draw the remaining vectors starting from the head of the most
recent vector drawn. All vectors must be connected in series, head-to-tail
fashion.
5. Draw a new vector connecting the tail of the first to the head of the last vector
drawn.
6. The new vector is the resultant of the given vectors.

• The graphical solution of the resultant of vectors depends

on the accuracy of the instruments (protractor & ruler) used
and the precision with which the drawing is made. Hence
care must be exercised when using the graphical method.
Using the Pythagorian Theorem to Determine the Resultant Vector

• The resultant of two vectors that form a right angle may be

computed by applying the Pythagorean theorem.

dR
d2

θ
d1
 Sample Problem
• A plane flying due north at 100 m/s is blown by a strong wind at 500
m/s due east. What is the plane’s resultant velocity?
• Given: v1 = 100 m/s north
v2 = 500 m/s east
Required to find: vr
• Solution: Draw first the vector diagram

500m/s E
b
100m/s N θ
Vr a c
θ

The vector diagram shows that the vectors form a right triangle where vr = c,
the hypotenuse of the triangle; v1 = a, one side of the right triangle; and v2 = b,
the other side of the triangle
Using Pythagorian Theorem
• The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the
two sides of a right triangle.

𝑐 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏2 To determine the direction of

the resultant velocity, use the
𝑣𝑟 2 = 𝑣1 2 + 𝑣2 2
equation:
𝑣𝑟 2 = 100𝑚/𝑠 2 + 500𝑚/𝑠 2
𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒
tan 𝜃 =
2 2 𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒
𝑣𝑟 = 10,000 𝑚 + 250,000 𝑚
𝑠2 𝑠2
𝑎 100𝑚/𝑠
𝑚2 tan 𝜃 = =
𝑣𝑟 = 260,000 𝑏 500𝑚/𝑠
𝑠2
𝒗𝒓 = 𝟓𝟎𝟗. 𝟗𝟎 𝒎 𝒔 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝜃 = 0.2

𝜃 = arctan 0.2
𝜽 = 𝟏𝟏. 𝟑𝟏° 𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕

So, 𝒗𝒓 = 𝟓𝟎𝟗. 𝟗𝟎 𝒎 𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝟏𝟏. 𝟑𝟏°𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕.

 Group Exercise – Working Together by 2s
1. A group of soldiers walked 15 km north from their camp,
then covered 10 km more due east. What was the total
distance walked by the soldiers? Determine their total
displacement from the starting point.
2. A ship sails north at 15 km/h but drifts westward with the
tide at 8 km/h. What is the resultant velocity of the ship?
3. Find the distance traveled and the displacement of the
following vectors in the given problems.
a. A ship is going north with a speed of 200 m/s. the waves going 300
m/s west is affecting the velocity of the ship. Find the resultant
velocity of the ship.
b. Find the resultant of a vector 40 m/s south and a vector 50 m/s
west.