Phys 101

Vectors
Dr Adnan Shariah

Physics Department
Jordan University of Science and Technology
Irbid - Jordan

shariah@[Link]
Stefano Moret © 1
Chapter 3
Vectors
Vectors
Vector quantities
 Physical quantities that have both numerical and
directional properties
Mathematical operations of vectors in this chapter
 Addition
 Subtraction

Introduction
Coordinate Systems
Used to describe the position of a point in space
Common coordinate systems are:
 Cartesian
 Polar

Section 3.1
Cartesian Coordinate System

Also called rectangular

coordinate system

x- and y- axes intersect

at the origin

Points are labeled (x,y)

Section 3.1
Polar Coordinate System

Origin and reference line are noted

Point is distance r from the origin in

the direction of angle , ccw from

reference line (counterclockwise)

 The reference line is often the x-

axis.

Points are labeled (r,)

Section 3.1
Polar to Cartesian Coordinates

Based on forming a right triangle from r

and 
x = r cos (cosine)
y = r sin (sin)
If the Cartesian coordinates are known:
y
tan 
x
r  x2  y 2

Section 3.1
Example 3.1
The Cartesian coordinates of a point in
the xy plane are (x,y) = (-3.50, -2.50) m,
as shown in the figure. Find the polar
coordinates of this point.
Solution: From Equation 3.4,
r  x2  y 2
 ( 3.50 m)2  ( 2.50 m)2
 4.30 m
and from Equation 3.3,
y 2.50 m
tan    0.714
x 3.50 m
  216 (signs give quadrant)

Section 3.1
Vectors and Scalars

A scalar quantity is completely specified by a single value with an appropriate

unit and has no direction.
 Many are always positive
 Some may be positive or negative
 Rules for ordinary arithmetic are used to manipulate scalar quantities.
A vector quantity is completely described by a number and appropriate units
plus a direction.

 All physical quantities encountered in this text will be either a scalar or

a vector
 A vector quantity has both magnitude (value + unit) and direction
 A scalar is completely specified by only a magnitude (value + unit)

Section 3.2
Vector Example
A particle travels from A to B along the
path shown by the broken line.
 This is the distance traveled and is
a scalar.
The displacement is the solid line from
A to B
 The displacement is independent
of the path taken between the two
points.
 Displacement is a vector.

Section 3.2
Vector Notation

Text uses bold with arrow to denote a vector: A

Also used for printing is simple bold print: A

When dealing with just the magnitude of avector in
print, an italic letter will be used: A or | A |
 The magnitude of the vector has physical units.
 The magnitude of a vector is always a positive
number.

When handwritten, use an arrow: A

Section 3.2
Equality of Two Vectors

Two vectors are equal if they have the

same magnitude and the same
direction.

A  B if A = B and they point along
parallel lines
All of the vectors shown are equal.
Allows a vector to be moved to a
position parallel to itself

Section 3.3
Adding Vectors
Vector addition is very different from adding scalar
quantities.
When adding vectors, their directions must be taken into
account.
Units must be the same
Graphical Methods
 Use scale drawings
Algebraic Methods
 More convenient
Section 3.3
Adding Vectors Graphically
Choose a scale.

Draw the first vector, , with the appropriate length
A
and in the direction specified, with respect to a 
coordinate system. A

Draw the next vector with the appropriate length

and in the direction specified, with respect to a
coordinate system whose origin is the end of vector

and parallel to the coordinate system used A
for .

Section 3.3
Adding Vectors Graphically, cont.
Continue drawing the vectors “tip-to-
tail” or “head-to-tail”.
The resultant is drawn from the origin of
the first vector to the end of the last
vector.
Measure the length of the resultant and
its angle.
 Use the scale factor to convert
length to actual magnitude.

Section 3.3
Adding Vectors Graphically, final
When you have many vectors, just
keep repeating the process until all are
included.
The resultant is still drawn from the tail
of the first vector to the tip of the last
vector.

Section 3.3
 Adding Vectors, Rules
When two vectors are added, the sum
is independent of the order of the
addition.
 This is the Commutative Law of
Addition.

A B  B A

Section 3.3
 Another Analytic Method
Laws of Sines & Law of Cosines from trig.
Appendix A-7, p A-8, arbitrary triangle:

c β a

α γ
Law of Cosines: c2 = ab2 + b2 - 2 a b cos(γ)
Law of Sines: sin(α)/a = sin(β)/b = sin(γ)/c
Add 2 vectors: C = A + B Given A, B, γ
B
C β A
A

α γ

Law of Cosines: C = A 2 2
B
+ B2 -2 A B cos(γ)
Gives length of resultant C.
Law of Sines: sin(α)/A = sin(γ)/C, or sin(α) = A sin(γ)/C
Gives angle α
Adding Vectors, Rules cont.

When adding three or more vectors, their sum is independent of the way in which
the individual vectors are grouped.
 This is called the Associative Property of Addition.
 
  
A  BC  A B C 

Section 3.3
Adding Vectors, Rules final

When adding vectors, all of the vectors must have the same units.
All of the vectors must be of the same type of quantity.
 For example, you cannot add a displacement to a velocity.

Section 3.3
Negative of a Vector
The negative of a vector is defined as the vector that, when added to the
original vector, gives a resultant of zero.

 Represented as

A
 
 A  A  0
The negative of the vector will have the same magnitude, but point in the
opposite direction.

Section 3.3
Subtracting Vectors

Special case of vector addition:

 
 
If A  B , then use A  B
Continue with standard vector addition
procedure.

Section 3.3
Subtracting Vectors, Method 2

Another way to look at subtraction is to

find the vector that, added to the
second vector gives you the first vector.
 
 
A  B  C

 As shown, the resultant vector

points from the tip of the second to
the tip of the first.

Section 3.3
Multiplying or Dividing a Vector by a Scalar

The result of the multiplication or division of a vector by a scalar is a vector.

The magnitude of the vector is multiplied or divided by the scalar.
If the scalar is positive, the direction of the result is the same as of the original
vector.
If the scalar is negative, the direction of the result is opposite that of the original
vector.

Section 3.3
Component Method of Adding Vectors

Graphical addition is not recommended when:

 High accuracy is required
 If you have a three-dimensional problem
Component method is an alternative method
 It uses projections of vectors along coordinate axes

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector, Introduction
A component is a projection of a
vector along an axis.
 Any vector can be completely
described by its components.
It is useful to use rectangular
components.
 These are the projections of the
vector along the x- and y-axes.

Section 3.4
Vector Component Terminology
 
A x and A y are the component vectors of A.
 They are vectors and follow all the rules for vectors.

Ax and Ay are scalars, and will be referred to as the components of A.

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector

Assume you are given a vector A

It can be expressed in 
terms of two
other vectors, A x and A y

A  Ax  Ay
These three vectors form a right
triangle.

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector, 2
The y-component is moved to the end
of the x-component.
This is due to the fact that any vector
can be moved parallel to itself without
being affected.
 This completes the triangle.

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector, 3

The x-component of a vector is the projection along the x-axis.

A x  A cos 
The y-component of a vector is the projection along the y-axis.
A y  A sin 
This assumes the angle θ is measured with respect to the x-axis.
 If not, do not use these equations, use the sides of the triangle directly.

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector, 4

The components are the legs of the right triangle whose hypotenuse is the length
of A.
Ay
 A A A
2
x
2
y and   tan 1

Ax
 May still have to find θ with respect to the positive x-axis
In a problem, a vector may be specified by its components or its magnitude and
direction.

Section 3.4
Components of a Vector, final

The components can be positive or

negative and will have the same units
as the original vector.
The signs of the components will
depend on the angle.

Section 3.4
Unit Vectors

A unit vector is a dimensionless vector with a magnitude of exactly 1.

Unit vectors are used to specify a direction and have no other physical
significance.

Section 3.4
Unit Vectors, cont.

The symbols î , ĵ, and k̂

represent unit vectors
They form a set of mutually perpendicular
vectors in a right-handed coordinate system

The magnitude
ˆi  ˆj  kˆ of each
1 unit vector is 1

Section 3.4
Unit Vectors in Vector Notation
Ax is the same as Ax î and Ay is the
same as Ay ĵ etc.

The complete vector can be expressed

as:

A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj

Section 3.4
Position Vector, Example

A point lies in the xy plane and has

Cartesian coordinates of (x, y).
The point can be specified by the
position vector.
rˆ  x ˆi  yˆj
This gives the components of the vector
and its coordinates.

Section 3.4
Adding Vectors Using Unit Vectors

Using R  A  B
Then

  
R  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Bx ˆi  By ˆj 

R   Ax  Bx  ˆi   Ay  By  ˆj

R  Rx ˆi  Ry ˆj

So Rx = Ax + Bx and Ry = Ay + By
Ry
R  R R 2
x
2
y   tan 1

Rx

Section 3.4
Adding Vectors with Unit Vectors

Note the relationships among the

components of the resultant and the
components of the original vectors.
Rx = Ax + Bx
Ry = Ay + By

Section 3.4
Three-Dimensional Extension

Using R  A  B
Then

  
R  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Azkˆ  Bx ˆi  By ˆj  Bzkˆ 

R   Ax  Bx  ˆi   Ay  By  ˆj   Az  Bz  kˆ

R  Rx ˆi  Ry ˆj  Rzkˆ
So Rx= Ax+Bx, Ry= Ay+By, and Rz = Az+Bz

Rx
R  Rx2  Ry2  Rz2  x  cos1 , etc.
R

Section 3.4
Adding Three or More Vectors

The same method can be extended to adding three or more vectors.

Assume
 
R  A BC
And

R   Ax  Bx  Cx  ˆi   Ay  By  Cy  ˆj
  Az  Bz  Cz  kˆ

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Taking a Hike

A hiker begins a trip by first walking 25.0 km southeast from her car. She
stops and sets up her tent for the night. On the second day, she walks 40.0
km in a direction 60.0° north of east, at which point she discovers a forest
ranger’s tower.

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Conceptualize and Categorize
 Conceptualize the problem by
drawing a sketch as in the figure.
 Denote the displacement vectors
 first and second days by A
on the
and B respectively.
 Use the car as the origin of
coordinates.
 The vectors are shownin the
figure. R
 Drawing the resultant , we can
now categorize this problem as an
addition of two vectors.

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Analysis

Analyze this problem by using our

new knowledge of vector components.
The first displacement has a
magnitude of 25.0 km and is directed
45.0° below the positive x axis.
Its components are:

Ax  A cos( 45.0) 
(25.0 km)(0.707) = 17.7 km
Ay  A sin( 45.0)
 (25.0 km)( 0.707)  17.7 km

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Analysis 2

The second displacement has a

magnitude of 40.0 km and is 60.0°
north of east.
Its components are:
Bx  B cos 60.0 
(40.0 km)(0.500) = 20.0 km
By  B sin60.0
 (40.0 km)(0.866)  34.6 km

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Analysis 3
The negative value of Ay indicates that the hiker walks in the negative y direction
on the first day.
The signs of Ax and Ay also are evident from the figure.

The signs of the components of B are also confirmed by the diagram.

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Analysis, 4

Determine the components of the

hiker’s resultant displacement for the
trip.
 Find an expression for the resultant
in terms of unit vectors.
The resultant displacement for the trip
has components given by
 Rx = Ax + Bx = 17.7 km + 20.0 km
= 37.7 km
 Ry = Ay + By = -17.7 km + 34.6 km
= 16.9 km
In unit vector form

R = (37.7 ˆi + 16.9ˆj) km

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Finalize

The resultant vector has a magnitude of

41.3 km and is directed 24.1° north of
east.

The units of R are km, which is
reasonable for a displacement.
From the graphical representation ,
estimate that the final position of the
hiker is at about (38 km, 17 km) which
is consistent with the components of
the resultant.

Section 3.4
Example 3.5 – Solution, Finalize, cont.

Both components of the resultant are positive, putting the final position in the
first quadrant of the coordinate system.
 This is also consistent with the figure.

Section 3.4
The scalar
Scalar product
Product of Two of two
Vectors
vectors is written as .
 called the dot
 It is also
A B
product.

A  B  A B cos 
 is the angle between A and
B
 
Applied cos  
W  Ftorwork, this
F  means
r

Section 7.3
Scalar Product, cont

The scalar product is commutative.


 A B  B  A
The scalar product obeys the distributive law of multiplication.
 
 
 A  B  C  A B  A  C

Section 7.3
Dot Products of Unit Vectors

ˆi  ˆi  ˆj  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  1
ˆi  ˆj  ˆi  kˆ  ˆj  kˆ  0

Using component form with vectors:


A  Ax ˆi  Ay ˆj  Azkˆ

B  Bx ˆi  By ˆj  Bzkˆ

A B  Ax Bx  Ay By  Az Bz

In the special case where


A  B;

A  A  Ax2  Ay2  Az2  A2
Section 7.3
 r = 17.3 cm
Theta = 20 o

F . r = F r cos 20o = 5.33 J

(a)

(b)

(c)
The Vector Product Defined
 
Given two vectors, A and B
   
The vector (cross) product of A and B is defined as a third vector, C  A  B.
 C is read as “A cross B”.
The magnitude of vector C is AB sin 
 
  is the angle between A and. B

Section 11.1
Vector Products of Unit Vectors

ˆi  ˆi  ˆj  ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  0
ˆi  ˆj   ˆj  ˆi  kˆ
ˆj  kˆ  kˆ  ˆj  ˆi
kˆ  ˆi   ˆi  kˆ  ˆj

Section 11.1
Vector Product Example

Given A  2ˆi  3ˆj; B   ˆi  2ˆj

Find A  B
Result

A  B  (2ˆi  3ˆj)  (  ˆi  2ˆj)
 2ˆi  (  ˆi )  2ˆi  2ˆj  3ˆj  (  ˆi )  3ˆj  2ˆj
 0  4kˆ  3kˆ  0  7kˆ

Section 11.1
Method of Determinants

A determinant of order 2 is defined by

Using Determinants

The cross product can be expressed as

ˆi ˆj kˆ
 Ay Az Az ˆ Ax Ay
A  B  Ax Ay Az  ˆi  Ax j kˆ
By Bz Bx Bz Bx By
Bx By Bz

Expanding the determinants gives


A  B   Ay Bz  Az By  ˆi   Ax Bz  AzBx  ˆj   Ax By  Ay Bx kˆ

Section 11.1