Ch03 Kinematics in More Dimensions; Vectors

Themes Sections
1. Vectors and vector additions 3-1,3-2,3-3,3-4,3-5
2. Position, displacement and velocity vectors3-6
3. The acceleration vector 3-6
4. Projectile motion 3-7,3-8
5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion 3-9
6. Relative velocity 3-10
1. Vectors and vector additions
•Scalar Quantity

Quantity with magnitude but without direction

Vector Quantity
Quantity with both magnitude and direction
Descriptions of Vector Quantity
• italic type with an arrow above it;

• combination of components of vector and Unit Vector;

• a straight line with arrow at its tip

1. Vectors and vector additions
How to calculate Vector Sum or Resultant?

parallelogram Tip-to-tail method

Graphical method
How to calculate ?

Algebraic method
Example 1: Addition of two vectors at right ang
les
A cross-country skier skis 1.00 km north and then 2.00 km east on
a horizontal snowfield. How far and in what direction is she from t
he starting point?

The distance from the starting point to A little trigonometry allows us to find angle :
the ending point is equal to the length of
the hypotenuse
Example 2: Adding vectors using their component
s
•
Three players on a reality TV show are brou
ght to the center of a large, flat field. Each i
s given a meter stick, a compass, a calculato
r, a shovel, and the following three displace
ments:

The three displacements lead to the point i

n the field where the keys to a new Porsche
are buried. Two players start measuring im
mediately, but the winner first calculates w
here to go. What does she calculate?
2. Position, displacement and velocity vectors
Position vector

Average velocity

Instantaneous velocity

At every point along the path, the

instantaneous velocity vector is
tangent to the path at that point.
2. Position, displacement and velocity vectors
Velocity in components

Magnitude of velocity

Direction of velocity (azimuthal

angle)
Example 3: Calculating average and instantaneou
s velocity
•A robotic vehicle, or rover, is exploring the surface of Mars. The station
ary Mars lander is the origin of coordinates, and the surrounding Marti
an surface lies in the plane. The rover, which we represent as a point, h
as and coordinates that vary with time:

(a) Find the rover’s coordinates and distance from the lander at
(b) Find the rover’s displacement and average velocity vectors for the i
nterval to .
(c) Find a general expression for the rover’s instantaneous velocity vec
tor . Express at in component form and in terms of magnitude and
direction.
 𝟐 𝟐 𝟑 𝟑
𝒙=𝟐 . 𝟎 𝒎− ( 𝟎 .𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕 , 𝒚= ( 𝟏. 𝟎 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕+ ( 𝟎 .𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕
3. The acceleration vector
Average acceleration vector

Instantaneous acceleration

Acceleration in components
Example 4: Calculating average and instantaneous acceleration

•A robotic vehicle, or rover, is exploring the surface of Mars. The sta

tionary Mars lander is the origin of coordinates, and the surroundi
ng Martian surface lies in the plane. The rover, which we represent
as a point, has and coordinates that vary with time:

(a) Find the rover’s average acceleration for the interval to .

(b) Find the instantaneous acceleration at .
 𝟐 𝟐 𝟑 𝟑
𝒙=𝟐 . 𝟎 𝒎− ( 𝟎 .𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕 , 𝒚= ( 𝟏. 𝟎 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕+ ( 𝟎 .𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕
3. The acceleration vector
Parallel and Perpendicular Components of Acceleration
Example 5: Acceleration of a skier
•A skier moves along a ski-jump ramp. The ramp is straight from poi
nt to point and curved from point onward. The skier speeds up as
she moves downhill from point to point , where her speed is maxi
mum. She slows down after passing point . Draw the direction of t
he acceleration vector at each of the points , , , and .
4. Projectile motion
•we can analyze projectile motion as
a combination of horizontal motion
with constant velocity and vertical
motion with constant acceleration.

In simple model projectile motion, t

he trajectory is always a parabola.
4. Projectile motion
General case of projectile motion

We neglect the effects of air resistance and the curvature and

rotation of the earth.
Example 6: Height and range of a projectile: A batted baseball

•A batter hits a baseball so that it leaves the bat at speed at an angl

e.
(a) Find the position of the ball and its velocity (magnitude and dir
ection) at .
(b) Find the time when the ball reaches the highest point of its flig
ht, and its height at this time.
(c) Find the horizontal range -that is, the horizontal distance from
the starting point to where the ball hits the ground.
𝜶 𝟎=𝟓𝟑 . 𝟏∘
Example 7: Height and range of a projectile II: Maximum height, ma
ximum range

•Find the maximum height and horizontal range of a projectile lau

nched with speed at an initial angle between and . For a given w
hat value of gives maximum height? What value gives maximum h
orizontal range?
5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion
When a particle moves in a circle with constant speed, the motion
is called uniform circular motion.

The acceleration only has perpendicular or radial component

5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion
•How to calculate ?

Centripetal acceleration (radial component)

5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion
Uniform circular motion VS Projectile motion
Example 8: Centripetal acceleration on a curved
road
•An Aston Martin V8 Vantage sports car has a “lateral acceleration”
of . This is the maximum centripetal acceleration the car can sustai
n without skidding out of a curved path. If the car is traveling at a c
onstant on level ground, what is the radius of the tightest unbank
ed curve it can negotiate?

𝟐
𝝊𝟐 ( 𝟒𝟎 𝒎 / 𝒔 )
𝑹= = =𝟏𝟕𝟎 𝒎
𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅 𝟗.𝟒𝒎/ 𝒔
5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion
Roller Coaster
•Non-uniform Circular Motion
Centripetal acceleration

Tangential acceleration

These results are also valid for gener

al curvilinear motion.
Example 9: Calculating parallel and perpendicular components of ac
celeration

•A robotic vehicle, or rover, is exploring the surface of Mars. The sta

tionary Mars lander is the origin of coordinates, and the surroundi
ng Martian surface lies in the plane. The rover, which we represent
as a point, has and coordinates that vary with time:

Find the parallel and perpendicular components of the acceleratio

n at .
 𝟐 𝟐 𝟑 𝟑
𝒙=𝟐 . 𝟎 𝒎− ( 𝟎 .𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕 , 𝒚= ( 𝟏. 𝟎 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕+ ( 𝟎 .𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝒎 / 𝒔 ) 𝒕
6. Relative velocity
•When a body moves relative to a bod
y (or reference frame) , and moves rel
ative to , we denote the velocity of re
lative to by , the velocity of relative t
o by , and the velocity of relative to
by . We can get relative velocity in spa
ce

You should also know

Example 10: Flying in a crosswind

Wind blows 10km/h east to west, and river flows 10km/h

from west to east, a boat moves on the river with relat
ive speed 20km/h , 30° north by west. How about the dir
ection of wind relative to the boat?

 BR
Solution: y

=2
    
 W B   W G   GB   W G   BG

0
30°
   x
  W G   BR   RG  o 
 W G  1 0  RG  1 0
   30
WB  10i  10 3 j

30°south by west WB
Chapter 03 Summary
Themes Sections
1. Vectors and vector additions 3-1,3-2,3-3,3-4,3-5
2. Position, displacement and velocity vectors3-6
3. The acceleration vector 3-6
4. Projectile motion 3-7,3-8
5. Uniform and non-uniform circular motion 3-9
6. Relative velocity 3-10