FAST-NCEAC

ISLAMABAD

Applied Physics (CS)

Lecture-01

Abdul Rahman
Vectors
Cross Product
In genera the cross products of two vectors 𝐴መ and 𝐵can
෠ be
written as
 Example
A bird that flew 100 m to the east, then 200 m to the northwest. Use the algebraic
addition of vectors to find the bird’s net displacement.

Displacement vectors A = (100 m, east) and B = (200 m,

northwest). Draw vectors tip-to-tail to add them
graphically, but it’s usually easier to draw them all from
the origin if we are going to use algebraic addition.
From the figure the components of vectors are
Adding 𝐴መ and 𝐵෠ by components
gives
The magnitude and
direction of 𝐶መ
separately can be
found as

Thus 𝐶መ = (147 m, 740 north of west)

 Example
An airplane trip involves three legs, with two stopovers, as shown. The first leg is
due east for 620 km, the second leg is southeast (45°) for 440 km, and the third
leg is at 53° south of west, for 550 km. What is the plane’s total displacement?
Redraw a diagram such that D1, D2, and D3 represent the
three legs of the trip, and DR is the plane’s total
displacement.
Calculate the components
Add the x components together,
and we add the y components
together to obtain the x and y
components of the resultant
The x and y components are 600
km and -750 km, and point
respectively to
the east and south

Magnitude and direction of

resultant vector

Thus, the total displacement has magnitude 960 km and

points 51° below the x axis (south of east), as was shown in
first figure.