and the rest of the method outlined above is identical to that for addition. (See
[link] .)
Analyzing vectors using perpendicular components is very useful in many areas of physics, because perpendicular quantities are often independent of one another. The next module,
Projectile Motion , is one of many in which using perpendicular components helps make the picture clear and simplifies the physics.
Phet explorations: vector addition
Learn how to add vectors. Drag vectors onto a graph, change their length and angle, and sum them together. The magnitude, angle, and components of each vector can be displayed in several formats.
Summary
The analytical method of vector addition and subtraction involves using the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometric identities to determine the magnitude and direction of a resultant vector.
The steps to add vectors
and
using the analytical method are as follows:
Step 1: Determine the coordinate system for the vectors. Then, determine the horizontal and vertical components of each vector using the equations
and
Step 2: Add the horizontal and vertical components of each vector to determine the components
and
of the resultant vector,
:
and
Step 3: Use the Pythagorean theorem to determine the magnitude,
, of the resultant vector
:
Step 4: Use a trigonometric identity to determine the direction,
, of
:
Conceptual questions
Suppose you add two vectors
and
. What relative direction between them produces the resultant with the greatest magnitude? What is the maximum magnitude? What relative direction between them produces the resultant with the smallest magnitude? What is the minimum magnitude?
Find the following for path C in
[link] : (a) the total distance traveled and (b) the magnitude and direction of the displacement from start to finish. In this part of the problem, explicitly show how you follow the steps of the analytical method of vector addition.
Find the following for path D in
[link] : (a) the total distance traveled and (b) the magnitude and direction of the displacement from start to finish. In this part of the problem, explicitly show how you follow the steps of the analytical method of vector addition.
I am a university student of Myanmar.I am first year,first semester.I want to learn about physics.
Maung
two charges qA and qB are separated by a distance x. if we double the distance between the charges and triple the magnitude of the charge A, what happens to the magnitude of the force that charge A exerts on charge B.
what happens to the magnitude of the force that charge B exerts on charge A
a reflected ray on a mirror makes an angle of 20degree with the incident ray when the mirror is rotated 15degree what angle will the incident ray now make with the reflected ray
Roofs are sometimes pushed off vertically during a tropical cyclone, and buildings sometimes explode outward when hit by a tornado. Use Bernoulli’s principle to explain these phenomena.
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