PHYSICS

VECTORS

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A vector quantity is any quantity which has both magnitude and the
direction. Example, displacement, acceleration, momentum, impulse,
velocity , force etc.
A scalar quantity is any quantity which has only magnitude but no
direction. Example mass, distance, speed, time, temperature etc.
REPRESENTATION OF A VECTOR
A vector can be represented by a directed line say AB

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• In the diagram above, the directed line AB is a vector. The length of
the line AB is the magnitude of the vector and the direction id
represented by the bearing say 037°.
PARALLELOGRAM LAW OF VECTORS
This states that if two vectors are drawn from a point as two
adjacent sides of a parallelogram, the resultant is the diagonal of the
parallelogram.

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 • EXAMPLE
Two forces 3N and 4N act on a body. If the angle between the forces is
60°.Calculate (i) the magnitude (ii) the direction.
Solution 𝑎 = 𝑏 +𝑐 − 2 ( 𝑎 ) ( 𝑏 ) cos 𝐴
2 2 2

2 2 2
𝑏 = 𝑎 + 𝑐 − 2 ( 𝑎 ) ( 𝑐 ) cos 𝐵
Using cosine rule2 2 2
𝑐 =𝑎 + 𝑏 − 2 ( 𝑎 ) ( 𝑏 ) cos 𝐶

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Direction, using lamis theorem,

𝑎 𝑏 𝑐
= =
sin 𝐴 sin 𝐵 sin 𝐶

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 Exercise
1.Two force 4N and 5N act on a body. If the angle between them is 65°
Calculate the magnitude and the direction of the resultant body.

2. A particle has two velocities 12m/s due east and 14m/s in the
direction N43°E. What is the resultant velocity and the direction.

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RESOLUTION OF FORCES

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Relative velocity

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 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 1
𝑉 ❑ 𝐵=𝑉 𝐴𝐵 =𝑉 𝐴 + (−𝑉 𝐵 )
❑
⇒ 𝑉 ❑ 𝐵= 𝑉
𝐴 𝐴 −𝑉 𝐵

𝑎𝑠𝑒 2
❑
𝐵𝑉 ❑ 𝐴 =𝑉 𝐵𝐴 =𝑉 𝐵 − 𝑉 𝐴
❑
⇒ 𝐵𝑉 ❑ 𝐴= 𝑉 𝐵 − 𝑉 𝐴

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