General Physics Lecture

For Year I First Semester Natural

Science Students
Physics Department

By; Bessie Mengesha

3/22/2023
 Part II
 Definition of vector and
scalar

 Representation of vector

 Vector addition and

Vector versus. Scalar Review subtraction

 Resolution of vectors

 Components of vectors

 Direction cosines

 Unit vectors

2 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Some Examples of Vector and Scalar Quantities
Vectors Scalars
 Displacement  Distance
 Velocity (magnitude and  Speed (magnitude of
direction!) velocity)
 Acceleration  Temperature
 Force  Mass
 Momentum . . . etc.  Energy
 Time . . . etc.

3 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Important Notation


A


A

4 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Properties of Vectors


5 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Adding Vectors


6 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Adding Vectors Graphically
 When you have many vectors, just keep
repeating the process until all are
Included.
 The resultant is still drawn from the
tail of the first vector to the head of
the last vector.

7 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

8 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023
For two vectors at an angle Vector Addition:
/Algebraically/Math
(0o<< 90o) between the two ematical method/
vectors.

Figure. Neither collinear nor perpendicular

Construct a parallelogram by drawing a side

opposite and parallel to each vector as usual.

9 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Applying Pythagorean Theorem for the
magnitude of the resultant vector;
R  h 2  ( B  A cos ) 2
R A 2 sin 2  2 AB cos  B 2  A 2 cos
R A 2 (sin 2   cos 2  )  B 2  2 AB cos
R  A 2  B 2  2ABcosθ ; the equation called
Cosine law which is applied for all cases.

R A 2  B 2  2 AB cos 0 o  A 2  B 2  2 AB
R  ( A  B) 2  ( A  B)

10 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Sine Rule
To determine the direction
of the resultant vector we
have to apply the sine law
by considering A, B and R

Applying the cosine law gives only the

magnitude of the resultant vector.

11 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Activity

12 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Resolution of Vectors
Definition: Resolving a vector means splitting or breaking down a given vector into
component vectors.
To resolve vectors one can use trigonometry and dotted lines (. . .)
 It is useful to use rectangular components .These are the projections of the
vector along the x- and y-axes.

13 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Components of a Vector

 The x-component of a vector is the

projection along the x-axis
Ax
cos   Ax  A cos
A
 The y-component of a vector is the
projection along the y-axis
Ay
sin   Ay  A sin 
A
  Then,
  
A  Ax  Ay

14 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

More About Components
 The components are the legs of the
right triangle whose hypotenuse is A

 Ax  A cos( )

 Ay  A sin( )

 A   A 2  A 2
 x y

 Ay 1  y 
A
tan   or   tan   
Or,
 Ax  Ax 

15 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023


Where,

16 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Direction Cosines of a Line Joining Two Points

17 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023


Exercise

18 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 
ˆ A
A
Unit Vectors, A

 Components of a vector are vectors

  
A  Ax  Ay
 Unit vectors i-hat, j-hat, k-hat
iˆ  x ˆj  y kˆ  z

 Unit vectors used to specify direction
 Unit vectors have a magnitude of unity
y  Then 
A  Axiˆ  Ay ˆj
j i
x
k Magnitude + Sign Unit vector
z

19 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Adding Vectors Algebraically/components method/

 Consider two vectors


A  Axiˆ  Ay ˆj

B  Bxiˆ  By ˆj
 Then  
A  B  ( Ax iˆ  Ay ˆj )  ( Bx iˆ  B y ˆj )
 ( Ax  Bx )iˆ  ( Ay  B y ) ˆj
  
 If C  A  B  ( Ax  Bx )iˆ  ( Ay  By ) ˆj
 So, Cx  Ax  Bx C y  Ay  By

20 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Example : Operations with Vectors
 Vector A is described algebraically as (-3, 5), while vector B is (4, -2).
Find the value of magnitude and direction of the sum (C) of the
vectors A and B.
 
A  3iˆ  5 ˆj B  4iˆ  2 ˆj
  
C  A  B  (3  4)iˆ  (5  2) ˆj  1iˆ  3 ˆj
Cx  1 Cy  3
C  (C x  C y )1/ 2  (12  32 )1/ 2  3.16
2 2

Cy
  tan 1
 tan 1 3  71.56
Cx
21 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023
22 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023
1) Vector 𝐴 has magnitude of 8 units and makes an angle Exercises
of 450 with the positive x-axis. Vector 𝐴 also has the 5) Check the following
same magnitude of 8 units and directed along the equations dimensionally
negative x-axis. Find correct or not.
a. The magnitude and direction of 𝐴 + 𝐵
a. 𝑣 2 = 𝑣0 2 + 2𝑎𝑠
b. The magnitude and direction of 𝐴 + 𝐵
2) Given the displacement vectors; b. 𝑟𝐹 = 𝑚𝑙2
𝑣2
𝐴 = 3𝑖 − 4𝑗 + 4𝑘 & 𝐵 = 2𝑖 + 3𝑗 − 7𝑘. c. 𝑎𝑐 =
𝑟
Find the magnitudes of the vectors
a. 𝐴+𝐵
b. 2𝐴 − 𝐵
3) If 𝐴 = 6𝑖 − 8𝑗, 𝐵 = −8𝑖 + 3𝑗 & 𝐶 = 26𝑖 + 19𝑗.
Find a and b such that 𝑎𝐴 + 𝑏𝐵 + 𝐶 = 0.
4) If 𝑀 = 2𝑖 − 𝑗 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑁 = 4𝑖 + 3𝑗, find 𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙 such
that 𝑘𝑀 + 𝑙𝑁 = 2𝑖 − 6𝑗.

23 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

 Summary
 Polar coordinates of vector A (A, )  Ax  A cos( )

 Cartesian coordinates (Ax, Ay)  Ay  A sin( )

Relations between them:    
2
 
2
  A Ax Ay

 Beware of tan 180-degree ambiguity  A A 

 tan    y or   tan 1  y 
 Unit vectors:  Ax  Ax 
A  Axiˆ  Ay ˆj  Az kˆ
 Addition of vectors:   
C  A  B  ( Ax  Bx )iˆ  ( Ay  By ) ˆj
Cx  Ax  Bx C y  Ay  By
 Scalar multiplication of a vector: aA  aAxiˆ  aAy ˆj
 Multiplication of two vectors? It is possible, and we will
introduce it later as it comes up.

24 Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023

Prepared By; Bessie M 3/22/2023