Chapter 2: Vector

PHY 101: PHYSICS-I

What have we learnt
from last lecture?

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Chapter Overview
• Scalar Quantities
•Vector Quantities
•Example of Vector
•More examples of Scalar and Vector Quantities
•Properties of Vector
•Components of Vector
•Equal Vector
•Resulting Vectors
•Exercises

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Scalar Quantities
•A scalar quantity is one that is specified by a
magnitude but no directional properties

The number of apples in the basket is one example

of a scalar quantity
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 Vector Quantities
• A vector quantity is one that has both
magnitude and directional properties

Jennifer is pointing to the right.

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 Example of Vector
When this honeybee gets back to its
hive, it will tell the other bees how to return
to the food it has found. By moving
in a special, very precisely defined pattern,
the bee conveys to other workers
the information they need to find a flower
bed. Bees communicate by “speaking in
vectors.”

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Examples of Scalar and
Vector Quantities
•Examples of Scalar Quantities
Mass = 20 g
Time = 20.0 s
Temperature = 20oC
Speed = 20 m/s
•Examples of Vector Quantities
Velocity 30 m/s, East
Displacement 30 m to the right

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Properties of Vector
• Vector is represented by an arrow
•The length of the arrow is drawn to be proportional to the magnitude
of the vector
• Direction of the arrow corresponds the direction of the vector
• Vector is written placing an arrow over the letter a or placing a bar
over the letter a or with bold letter a
a

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Equal Vector
• Two vectors are equal to each other only if they have the same
magnitude and direction

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Equal Vector: Example
Which of the following vectors (if any) are equal vectors?

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Equal Vector: Example
Rank the vectors shown in figure in order of increasing magnitude.

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Components of Vector:
Example

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Components of Vector

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Components of Vectors
•Components are projections of vectors along coordinate axes
•Consider a vector A lying in the xy plane and making an arbitrary angle

with the positive x axis

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Components of Vectors
•We shall often refer to the “components of a vector A,” written Ax
and Ay
•The component Ax represents the projection of A along the x axis
•The component Ay represents the projection of A along the y axis
•These components can be positive or negative. The component Ax is
positive if Ax points in the positive x direction and is negative if Ax points
in the negative x direction. The same is true for the component Ay

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Components of Vectors

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Resulting Vectors (Problem
solving Hints)
Step-by-step procedure for resulting vectors and direction of two or
more vectors:
1. Select a coordinate system that is convenient
2.Draw a labeled sketch of the vectors described in the problem
3.Find the x and y components of all vectors
4.Find the resultant components (the algebraic sum of the components)
in the x and y directions
5.If necessary, use the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude of
the resultant vector and select a suitable trigonometric function to find
the angle that the resultant vector makes with the positive x axis

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Exercise 1
An airplane travels 209 km on a straight course making an angle of
22.5˚ east of due north. How far north and how far east does the plane
travel from its starting point?

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Exercise 2
A car travels due east on a level road for 32 km and it then turns due
north at an intersection and travels 47 km before stopping. Find the
vector that indicates the resulting location of the car.

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Exercise 3
One day you open an old chest in the attic and find a treasure map
inside. To locate the treasure, the map says “Go to the sycamore tree in
the backyard, march 5 paces north, then 3 paces east.” What are the
magnitude and direction of the total displacement for the treasure hunt
shown in picture. Assume each pace is 0.75 m in length.

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Exercise 4
A scouting party has become trapped in a forest away from their field
camp. The scouts know that field camp is located 3 km from the base
camp in a direction 45˚ north of east. Based on their explorations, they
also know that they are 2 km from the field camp in a direction 30˚
west of north. They wish to inform their position to the base camp so
that food and supplies can be dropped by air as close to their position
as possible. How can they pinpoint their location relative to the base
camp?

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Exercise 5
A map suggests that Atlanta is 730 mile from Dallas in a direction 5.00°
north of east. The same map shows that Chicago is 560 mile from
Atlanta in a direction 21.0° west of north. Use this information to find
the location of Chicago with respect to Dallas.

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Exercise 6
In the Jules Verne novel Mysterious Island, Captain Cyrus Harding wants
to find the height of a cliff. He stands with his back to the base of the
cliff, then marches straight away from it for 5.00*10^2 ft. At this point
he lies on the ground and measures the angle from the horizontal to
the top of the cliff. If the angle is 34 degree, (a) how high is the cliff? (b)
what is the straight-line distance from Captain Harding to the top of the
cliff? (c) what angle would Cyrus Harding have found if he had walked
6.00*10^2 ft from the cliff to make his measurement?

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