CHAPTER 3

KINEMATICS 2D:
VECTORS
 Lesson Outcomes

At the end of this chapter students should be able to :

 understand the difference between vector and scalar quantity

 use triangle method and tip-to tail method to add the vectors

 apply the component method to solve the problems

 SCALAR & VECTOR
Scalar quantity

 A scalar quantity is a physical quantity that only has magnitude.

Examples : Length, area, volume, mass, temperature

Vector quantity

 A vector quantity is a physical quantity that has both magnitude

and direction.

Examples : displacement, velocity, force, momentum

VECTORS
 VECTORS

Arrows are used to represent vectors.

The direction of arrow gives the direction of vector.

The length of arrow represents the magnitude of vector.

4m 8m
 ADDITION OF VECTORS
 Two or more vectors may be added together to produce
their ADDITION.
 If two vectors have the same direction, their resultant has a
magnitude equal to the sum of their magnitudes and will also have
the same direction.

 Similarly, orientated vectors can be added in the same manner.

 ADDITION OF VECTORS
Resultant Vector

 The resultant is the vector sum of two or more vectors.

 It is the result of adding two or more vectors together.
 If the displacement vectors A and B are added together, the result
will be vector R

A+B=R
A B R
 ADDITION OF VECTORS – GRAPHICAL
METHODS
i) Triangle Method

 This is a method to determining the result of adding two (and only

two) vectors which make a right angle to each other.

c is the resultant vector (magnitude),

Direction of c,
Example 1 :

Determine the resultant velocity of the plane.

Solution :
Example 2 :

A sail travel 12 km to the North and 10 km to the East. Calculate the

displacement and the direction of the sail using triangle method.

Solution :
 ADDITION OF VECTORS – GRAPHICAL
METHODS
ii) Tip to Tail Method

• If the vectors are not at right angles, they can be added graphically by
using the “tail-to-tip” method.
Example 3 :
Using the appropriate scale, find the resultant force and the direction of
the following vectors using tip to tail method.
F1 = 6 N, 180° ; F2 = 3 N, 120°

Solution :
Example 4 :
Using the appropriate scale, find the resultant displacement and the
direction of the following vectors using tip to tail method.
A = 20 m, 45° ; B = 25 m, 300° ; C = 15 m, 210°

Solution :
 ADDING VECTORS BY
COMPONENTS
y

 
 D D 
Dy Dy
 
 x 
0
Dx Dx

 A vector can be resolved into two components :

Example : Vector D can be resolved into Dx and Dy

Dx = D cos θ D y = D sin θ
 ADDING VECTORS BY
COMPONENTS

Resultant (magnitude) of vector can be find by using Pythagorean

Theorem if only the 2 vectors are perpendicular to each others.


(Dx )2 + (Dy )2

D  DR or DR =
Dy


Dx

−1 
Dy Dy 
Direction of vector, θ tan θ = or θ = tan  
Dx  Dx 
 ADDING VECTORS BY
COMPONENTS


Dy 
 D

0  x
Dx
Example 5 :
A displacement vector has a magnitude of 175 m and points at an angle
of 50° relative to the x axis. Find the x and y components of this vector.
Solution :

Ans : 112.49 m, 134.06 m

Example 6 :

F
120
x
S
A particle S experienced a force of 100 N as shown in figure above.
Determine the x-component and the y-component of the force.

Solution :

Ans : - 50 N, 86.6 N
 Example 7 :
y


70 F1 (10 N )
x
30o O 45o


F3 (40 N ) 
F2 (30 N )

The figure shows three forces F1, F2 and F3 acted on a particle O.

Calculate the magnitude and direction of the resultant force on particle O.
Solution :
Example 8 :

An airplane trip involves three legs, with two stopovers. The first leg is
due east for 620 km; the second leg is southeast (45o) for 440 km; and
the third leg is at 53o south of west, for 550km.
a) Sketch the vector diagram using tip to tail method
b) Calculate the plane’s total displacement and direction using
component method.
Solution :
Solution :