Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

MECH 1 – STATICS OF RIGID BODIES Period: 1st Sem. AY .2025-2026

Course Instructor: Engr. Neri Dianne Bacuño Course and Year: BSCE 2
Learning Module 2: Force Vectors
Outline of Topics
1. Scalars and Vectors
2. Vector Operations
3. Graphical Method of Vector Forces
4. Analytical Method of Vector Forces
a. Scalar Notation
b. Cartesian Vector Notation
5. Cartesian Vectors
6. Addition of Cartesian Vectors
7. Position Vectors
8. Force Vector Directed Along a Line
9. Dot product
Specific Intended Learning Outcome/s (SILOs)
At the end of this topic, the student should be able to:
• solve problems in addition, subtraction, and multiplication of vectors, using scalar or cartesian notation.
=========================================================================================

1) Scalars and Vectors

A scalar is any positive or negative physical quantity completely specified

by its magnitude, e.g., length, time, mass.

A vector is any physical quantity that requires both a magnitude and a

direction for its complete description, e.g., force, position, and moment. The arrow's
length represents the vector's magnitude, and the angle θ between the vector and
a fixed axis defines the direction of its line of action. The head or tip of the arrow
indicates the sense of direction of the vector.

2) Vector Operations

• Multiplication and Division of a Vector by a Scalar

If a vector is multiplied by a positive scalar, its magnitude is increased

by that amount. Multiplying by a negative scalar will also change the
directional sense of the vector.

• Vector Addition
To do this, we must use the parallelogram law of addition. First, join the tails of the components at a
point to make them concurrent. From the head of B, draw a line parallel to A. Draw another line from the

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

head of A that is parallel to B. These two lines intersect at point P to form the adjacent sides of a
parallelogram. The diagonal of this parallelogram that extends to P forms R, which then represents the
resultant vector R = A + B.

We can also use the triangle rule, a special case of the parallelogram law, whereby vector B is added
to vector A in a “head-to-tail” fashion. The resultant R extends from the tail of A to the head of B. Similarly,
R can also be obtained by adding A to B. By comparison, it is seen that vector addition is commutative; in
other words, the vectors can be added in either order.

The parallelogram law reduces to an algebraic or scalar addition if the two vectors are collinear.

• Vector Subtraction

The resultant of the difference between two vectors A and B of the same type may be expressed as
R’ = A - B = A + (-B)

3) Graphical Method of Vector Forces

• Finding a Resultant Force

Two component forces can be added together to form the resultant force. We can apply the law of
sines and cosines to the triangle to obtain the magnitude of the resultant force and its direction.

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• Finding the Components of a Force

To determine the magnitude of each component, a parallelogram is constructed first by drawing lines
starting from the tip of F, one line parallel to u, and the other line parallel to v. These lines then intersect
with the v and u axes, forming a parallelogram. The force components Fu and Fv are then established by
simply joining the tail of F to the intersection points on the u and v axes. This parallelogram can then be
reduced to a triangle representing the triangle rule. From this, the law of sines can then be applied to
determine the unknown magnitudes of the components.

• Addition of Several Forces

If more than two forces are to be added, successive applications of the parallelogram law can be carried
out to obtain the resultant force.

Important Points
• Multiplication or division of a vector by a scalar will change the magnitude of the vector. The sense of the vector
will change if the scalar is negative.
• As a special case, if the vectors are collinear, the resultant is formed by an algebraic or scalar addition.

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Visualization:

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Example Problems
1) Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant force.

2) Resolve the horizontal 600-lb force, as shown on the right, into components acting
along the u and v axes and determine the magnitudes of these components. Refer
to the figure on the right.

Activity 2.1
1) Determine the magnitude of the component force F and the magnitude of the resultant force FR if FR is directed
along the positive y-axis.

2) It is required that the resultant force acting on the eyebolt be directed along the positive x-axis and that F2 have a
minimum magnitude. Determine this magnitude, the angle θ, and the corresponding resultant force.

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4) Analytical Method of Vector Forces

When a force is resolved into two components along the x and y axes, the components are called rectangular
components. For analytical work, we can represent these components in one of two ways, using either Scalar or
Cartesian Vector Notation.

a. Scalar Notation

Since the components of force F form a right triangle, they can be

determined from

However, the direction can also be determined by using a small “slope” triangle. By
using proportions, thus,

and

The y component is a negative scalar since Fy is directed along the negative axis.

b. Cartesian Vector Notation

Representing a force's x and y components in Cartesian unit vectors i and j is also possible. They are
called unit vectors because they have a dimensionless magnitude of 1, and so they can be used to
designate the directions of the x and y axes.

Since the magnitude of each component of F is always a positive quantity which is represented by the
(positive) scalars Fx and Fy, then we can express F as a Cartesian vector,

Coplanar Force Resultants

Either of the two methods just described can be used to determine the
resultant of several coplanar forces, i.e., forces lying in the same plane.

The components of the resultant force of any number of coplanar forces can
be represented symbolically by the algebraic sum of the x and y components of all the
forces, i.e.,

MECH 1 – Statics of Rigid Bodies Page 6 of 13

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F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Example Problems
3) Determine the x and y components of F1 and F2 acting on the boom. Express each
force as a Cartesian vector. Refer to the figure on the right.

4) The link is subjected to two forces, F1 and F2. Determine the magnitude and the
direction of the resultant force.

Activity 2.2
1) The end of the boom O is subjected to three concurrent and coplanar
forces. Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant force.

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5. Cartesian Vectors

The operations of vector algebra, when applied to solving problems in three dimensions, are greatly simplified
if the vectors are first represented in Cartesian vector form.

o Right-Handed Coordinate System

The theory of vector algebra follows the right-handed coordinate system, where the
thumb of the right-hand points in the direction of the positive z axis while the right-hand
fingers are curled about this axis and directed from the positive x towards the positive y
axis.

o Rectangular Components of a Vector

A vector A may have one, two, or three rectangular components along the x, y, z
coordinate axes, depending on how the vector is oriented relative to the axes.

o Cartesian Unit Vectors

The sense of these vectors will be represented analytically by a plus or minus
sign, depending on whether they are directed along the positive or negative x, y, or
z axes.

o Cartesian Vector Representation

We can write a vector in the Cartesian vector form as:

Thus, the magnitude of A is equal to the positive square root of the sum of the squares of its components.

The direction of A is determined by the coordinate direction angles α (alpha), β

(beta), and γ (gamma), measured between the tail of A and the positive x, y, and z axes,
provided they are located at the tail of A.

These numbers are known as the direction cosines of A. A unit vector uA can be
formed to obtain these direction cosines.

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Hence,

6. Addition of Cartesian Vectors

The addition or subtraction of two or more vectors can be greatly simplified if the vectors are expressed in terms
of their Cartesian components. Thus,

Where, ∑Fx, ∑Fy, and ∑Fz represent the algebraic sums of the respective x, y, z or i, j, k components of each
force in the system.

Visualization:

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 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Example Problem
5) Two forces act on the hook. Specify the magnitude of F 2 and its coordinate direction angles so that the resultant
force FR acts along the positive y axis and has a magnitude of 800 N.

Activity 2.3
1) Express the force F as a Cartesian vector with a given force vector of 200 lb,
as shown on the right.

7. Position Vectors

o x, y, z coordinates
A right-handed coordinate system is used to describe the location
of points in space. In this convention, the positive z-axis points
upward (zenith direction) and represents height or altitude, while the
x-axis and y-axis lie in the horizontal plane. In locating a point, its
position is defined by its coordinates (x, y, z), measured from the
origin (O). For example,

Point A: Start at O, move +4 m along x, +2 m along y,

and –6 m along z.
Coordinates: A(4 m, 2 m, –6 m)

Point B: Start at O, move +6 m along x, –1 m along y,

and +4 m along z.
Coordinates: B(6 m, –1 m, 4 m)

o Position Vector
A position vector r is defined as a fixed vector which locates a point in space relative to another point.
For example, if r extends from the origin of coordinates, O, to point P (x, y, z), then r can be expressed in
Cartesian Vector form as,

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o Position Vector of Two Points

The position vector between two points is also designated
by the symbol r. As a matter of convention, we will sometimes
refer to this vector with two subscripts to indicate from and to
the point where it is directed. Thus, r can also be designated as
rAB Also, note that rA and rB are referenced with only one
subscript since they extend from the origin of coordinates.

Using the Triangle Rule (by the head-to-tail vector addition),

Thus, the i, j, k components of the position vector r may

be formed by taking the coordinates of the tail of the vector
A(xA, yA, zA) and subtracting them from the corresponding
coordinates of the head B(xB, yB, zB).

Visualization:

Example Problem
6) An elastic rubber band is attached to points A and B as shown. Determine its length and its direction measured
from A toward B.

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8. Force Vector Directed Along a Line

In many three-dimensional statics’ problems, the direction of a force is often
given by two points that the force passes through: the force F is directed along the
cord AB as shown. Formulating the given force F as a Cartesian vector, where the
unit vector u = r / r:

Note:
• r - the position vector from point A to point B. It has both magnitude (length:
e.g. meter) and direction.
• r (magnitude of r) or |r| - the length of that vector which sometimes called the vector’s magnitude or distance
between points A and B.
• u = r / r - the unit vector in the direction from A to B. It has a magnitude of 1 and no units (just direction).

Visualization:

Example Problems
7) The man shown pulls on the cord with a force of 70 lb. Represent this force acting on the support A as a
Cartesian vector and determine its direction.

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Activity 2.4
1) The roof is supported by cables as shown. If the cables exert forces FAB = 100 N and FAC = 120 N on the wall hook
at A, determine the resultant force acting at A. Express the result as a Cartesian vector.

MECH 1 – Statics of Rigid Bodies Page 13 of 13