SCI 405: Fundamentals of Physics Batangas State University - Alangilan

Lecture Module Series 1st Semester, AY 2021-2022

Lecture 01: Scalars and Vectors

Lecture Module Objectives

At the end of this module, the students are expected to:

● Differentiate vectors quantities from scalar quantities
● Identify the magnitude and direction of the vector
● Identify the different properties of vector algebra, particularly the properties that can be used to
add or subtract vectors
● Familiarize with the unit vector
● Differentiate graphical method from analytical method

Scalar quantity
- A synonym of “number”
- Magnitude only
- Examples: time, mass, distance, length, volume, temperature, and energy

Scalar quantities with the same physical units (by physical units, we mean km, kg, etc) can be added or
subtracted according to the usual rules of algebra of numbers.
- Example: 1 cm + 1 cm - 0.5 cm = 1.5 cm

When a scalar quantity is multiplied by a number, we obtain the same scalar quantity but with a larger or
smaller value.
- Example: A track and field runner had a total of 5 km run for his practice yesterday. Today, he
wants to run thrice his run yesterday. What is his target run today?
- Solution: 5 km * 3 = 15 km

Two scalar quantities can be multiplied or divided by each other to form a derived scalar quantity.
- Example: The track and field runner covered a total of 5 km run for 1 hr.
- Solution: 5 km/1.0 hr = 5 km/hr
- Speed is the derived scalar quantity because distance was divided by time.

1
There are physical quantities that cannot be described by magnitude alone. These physical quantities are
referred to as vector quantities.

Vector quantity
- A physical quantity described by a number of units (magnitude) and a direction (magnitude +
direction)
- Examples: displacement, velocity, force, torque
- A vector is drawn from the initial point or origin (“tail” of a vector) to the end or terminal point
(“head” of a vector). The “head” of a vector is represented by an arrowhead. Refer to Figure 1.
- Magnitude is the length of a vector and is always a positive scalar quantity.

Figure 1. A representation of vector D with a magnitude D using an arrowhead

To distinguish scalar quantity from vector quantity, in this module, we will use the bold typeface when
writing the vector. A bold typeface with an arrowhead can be used as well to identify the vector.
- Example:
- Distance (scalar quantity): d
- Displacement (vector quantity): d or

Properties of vector quantities:

1. DAB = DBA
a. Magnitude is equal.
b. For example, Alice walked from her house at A to the bakery at B and then walked back
from the bakery at B to her house at A.
c. In this case, the magnitude of displacement vector DAB from A to B is the same as the
magnitude of the displacement vector DBA from B to A.
2. | A | = A
a. The magnitude of a vector is shown by two vertical bars on either side of the vector. Do not
confuse the two vertical bars with absolute value.
b. The magnitude of a vector is a scalar quantity.
3. DAB ≠ DBA

2
 a. The vectors are not equal because the two vectors have different directions.
b. DAB has an origin at point A and ends at point B. On the other hand, vector DBA has an
origin at point B and ends at point A.
c. Instead, we can say that vector DAB is antiparallel to vector DBA.
4. DAB = -DBA
a. Vector DAB is antiparallel to vector DBA.
b. Minus sign (-) indicates the antiparallel direction.
c. Antiparallel vectors are drawn in either head-to-head fashion or tail-to-tail fashion.
5. Two vectors that have identical directions are said to be parallel vectors.
6. Two parallel vectors A and B are equal, A = B, if and only if they have equal magnitudes |A| = |B|.
7. Two vectors with directions perpendicular (90o) to each other are orthogonal vectors.
8. B = aA
a. A vector can be multiplied by a scalar.
b. When a vector A is multiplied by a positive scalar a, the result is a new vector B that is
parallel to A.
9. B = |a|A
a. The magnitude of the new vector B (from no. 8) is obtained by multiplying the magnitude
|A| of the original vector.
10. Referring to no. 8, if the scalar a is negative (from no. 8), then the magnitude |B| of the new vector
is still B = |a|A (from no. 9). However, the direction of the new vector B is antiparallel to the
direction of A.
11. DAC = DAB + DBC
a. Two vectors can be added.
b. The sum of the two or more vectors is called the resultant vector or resultant.
c. The direction of the resultant is parallel to both vectors.
d. For example, Alice walked from her house at A to the bakery at B. After her stop at the
bakery at B to buy some snacks, she then went for a short walk to the park at C. Alice’s
total displacement from her house at A to the park at C is DAC = DAB + DBC.
12. C = A - B
a. Two vectors can be subtracted.
b. The direction of the difference vector C is parallel to the direction of the longer vector.
13. A + B = B + A
a. Addition of vectors is commutative.
14. (A + B) + C = A + (B + C)
a. Addition of vectors is associative.
15. a1A + a2A = (a1 + a2)A
a. Multiplication by a scalar is distributive.
16. a(A + B) = aA + aB
a. Scalar multiplication by a sum of vectors is distributive.

3
17. unit vector, û
a. When adding many vectors in one dimension, it is convenient to use the concept of a unit
vector.
b. A unit vector is denoted by a letter symbol with a hat, such as û.
c. A unit vector has a magnitude of one (1) and does not have any physical unit.
d. The role of a unit vector is to specify direction.
e. For example, instead of saying that vector DAB has a magnitude of 1.0 km and a direction of
northeast, a unit vector, say unit vector û indicates the northeast direction, can be used to
simplify the statement underlined.
f. We can say instead DAB = (1.0 km)û
g. Using the same example, vector DAB has a magnitude of 1.0 km and a direction of
northeast, if û is the northeast, the southwest direction is given by unit vector -û. Southwest
is the opposite of northeast.
h. Using the southwest direction’s unit vector, -û, the equation becomes DBA = -(1.0 km)û
18. A = Ax + Ay + Az
a. Properties indicated from number 18 to 23 are used in the Cartesian xyz-coordinate system.
b. Vector expressed in its x, y, and z vector components. The system is in the Cartesian
xyz-coordinate system.
c. Ax is the vector x-component of vector A
d. Ay is the vector y-component of vector A
e. Az is the vector z-component of vector A
f. As can be seen, vector A is the sum of the vector x-component and vector y-component
19. Ax = A xî
Ay = A yĵ
Az = Azk̂
a. In relation to no. 18, the positive direction on the x-axis is denoted by unit vector î. The
positive direction on the y-axis is denoted by unit vector ĵ. The positive direction on the
z-axis is denoted by unit vector k̂ We will make use of these unit vectors in the succeeding
lecture modules. .
20. A = A xî + A yĵ + A zk̂
a. In relation to no. 19, A x, A y, and A z are the scalar components of vector A.
21. A = A x2 + A y2 + A z2 ⇔ A = √A x2 + A y2 + A z2
2

a. To obtain the magnitude A of vector A using Pythagorean theorem

4
22. tan θA = A y / A x
a. The direction angle θA of a vector is defined via the tangent function of θA.
b. The direction angle θA of a vector is the angle measured counterclockwise from the positive
direction on the x-axis to the vector. The clockwise measurement gives a negative angle.

5
23. Ax = Acosθ A
Ay = Asinθ A
a. In relation to no. 18, the magnitude A of vector A can be used to obtain the x and y
component of vector A provided that the direction angle θA is known.
24. A vector antiparalllel to vector A = Axî + Ayĵ + Azk̂ can be obtained by multiplying A by the
scalar a = -1.
a. Antiparallel of vector A is -A = -Axî - A yĵ - A zk̂
25. Null vector, 0
a. The generalization of the number zero to vector algebra
b. All the components of the null vector are zero, 0 = 0î + 0ĵ + 0k̂
c. Null vector has no length and no direction
26. Two vectors A and B are equal vectors if and only if their difference is the null vector
a. A - B = 0
27. Vectors A and B are equal, A = B, if and only if the corresponding components of vectors A and B
are equal
a. Ax = Bx
Ay = By
Az = Bz
28. R = A + B = (Ax + Bx)î + (Ay + By)ĵ + (Az + Bz)k̂ = Rxî + Ryĵ + Rzk̂
a. Rx = A x + Bx
Ry = A y + By
Rz = A z + Bz
b. Scalar components of the resultant vector R are the sum of the corresponding scalar
components of vectors A and B.
29. A ⋅ B = ABcosφ

6
 a. Dot product, also called as the scalar multiplication of two vectors, results in a scalar
product.
b. φ is the angle between vectors A and B.
c. Dot product of two parallel vectors is A ⋅ B = ABcos0 o = AB
d. Dot product of two antiparallel vectors is A ⋅ B = ABcos180o = -AB
e. Dot product of two orthogonal vectors is A ⋅ B = ABcos90 o = 0
f. Dot product of a vector with itself is the square of its magnitude: A2 = A ⋅ A = AAcos0o =
A2
30. A ⋅ B = B ⋅ A
a. Scalar multiplication of vectors is commutative.
31. A ⋅ (B + C) = A ⋅ B + A ⋅ C
a. Scalar multiplication obeys the distributive law.
32. x = r cos φ
y = r sin φ
a. We are now in the polar coordinate system. Just a quick review. Polar coordinate system is
used when describing rotation. This coordinate system will be useful in the succeeding
lecture modules.
b. The radial coordinate is denoted by r, which is the distance of point P from the origin.
c. The angle that the radial vector makes with some chosen direction, usually the positive
x-direction is φ. The angle is measured in radians or rads.
d. The radial vector is attached at the origin and points away from the origin to point P. This
radial direction is described by a unit radial vector r̂.
e. The second unit vector t̂ is a vector orthogonal to the radial direction r̂.
f. The x and y in the equation referred in no. 32 are in the Cartesian coordinate system. The
equations tell us that x and y coordinates in the Cartesian system can be obtained using the
polar coordinate system. The equations tell us the connection between polar coordinates
and Cartesian coordinates.

7
There are two ways to perform vector addition and/or subtraction. These are graphical method and
analytical method.

Graphical method
- Using graphical method requires drawing a vector (say, vector d) to scale.
- For example, if we assume 1 unit of distance (1 km) is represented in the drawing by a line
segment μ = 2 cm, then the total displacement in this example is represented by a vector of length
d = 6μ = 6(2 cm) = 12 cm.
- For the geometric construction of the sum of the two vectors in a plane, we follow the
parallelogram rule
- Parallelogram rule
a. Suppose two vectors A and B are in arbitrary positions.
b. Translate either one of them in parallel to the beginning of the other vector, so that after the
translation, both vectors have their origins at the same point.
c. At the end of the vector A we draw a line parallel to vector B and at the end of vector B we
draw a line parallel to vector A.
d. We obtain a parallelogram.
e. From the origin of the two vectors, we draw a diagonal that is the resultant of the two
vectors: R = A + B

8
 - Vector subtraction using parallelogram method
a. The difference vector D, D = A - B, is drawn along the diagonal connecting the ends of the
vectors.
b. Place the origin of vector D at the end of vector B and the end (arrowhead) of vector D at
the end of vector A.

- R≠A+B
D ≠ |A - B|
- Using parallelogram rule, neither the magnitude of the resultant vector nor the magnitude
of the difference vector can be expressed as a simple sum or difference of magnitudes A
and B
- The length of a diagonal cannot be expressed as a simple sum of side lengths.

Analytical method
- More simple computationally and more accurate than graphical method
- Makes use of some of the properties stated in the early parts of this lecture module.
- Analytical method of vector addition and subtraction utilizes Pythagorean theorem and
trigonometric identities. The objective is to determine and solve the magnitude and direction of the
resultant or difference of vectors.

Remarks:
We might make use of properties indicated in nos. 29 to 32 in the succeeding lecture modules for this
course. Please note that these properties are not part of the course outline for Lecture 01.

9
This lecture module was written with the thought of how the lecturer will discuss the lesson Scalars and
Vectors in a face to face setting.

Reference:
1. S. J. Ling, J. Sanny, & W. Moebs. (2018). University Physics Volume 1. Rice University. Retrieved
from https://openstax.org/details/books/universityphysics-volume-1

--to be continued--

10