Force vectors

Scalars and vectors

2D and 3D force systems

Scalars and vectors

Scalar any positive or negative physical quantity that

can be completely specified by its magnitude.
Examples: mass, lenght, time.
Vector any physical quantity that requires both a
magnitude and a direction for its complete description.
Examples: force, position, moment.

Scalars and vectors

Graphical representation of a vector by an arrow.

Magnitude of the vector given by the length of the arrow.
Direction of the vectors line of action given by the angle between
the vector and a fixed axis.
Sense of direction of the vector given by the head of the tip of the
arrow.
Sense
Magnitude

Direction

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.
When multiplied by a negative scalar it will also
change the directional sense of the vector.

2V
0.5V

Vector addition

All vector quantities obey the parallelogram law of addition.

Procedure description:
First join the tails of the components at a point so that it makes
them concurrent.
Bring to intersection the 2 lines draw as parallel lines to each
individual vector to form the adjacent sides of a parallelogram.
The diagonal of this parallelogram will give the resultant vector.

R V1 V 2
V1

V1

V1

R
V2

V2

V2

Vector addition

Triangle rule a special case of the parallelogram law

The vectors are being added in a head-to-tail fashion by
connecting the head of the first with the tail of the second.
The resultant extends from the tail of the first vector to the head
of the second.
It is easy to see that vector addition is commutative.

R V 2 V1
V1

V2

V1

V2

R V1 V 2

R
V1

V2

Vector addition

As a special case, if two vectors are collinear, i.e. both have

the same line of action, the parallelogram law reduces to an
algebraic or scalar addition.

R
V1

V2

R V1 V2

Application

The truck is to be towed using two ropes. Determine the

magnitude of forces acting on each rope in order to
develop a resultant force of 950 N directed along the
positive axis x. Set the angle as 50.

Vector substraction

Can be defined as a special case of addition, so the rules of

vector addition also apply to vector substraction.

R V1 V 2

V1

R
V2

V 2
Parallelogram law
Vector substraction

V 2
V1

V1

Triangle construction

Vector addition of forces

Common problems in statics:

finding the resultant force knowing its components
resolving a known force into 2 components

The parallelogram law must be

used to determine the resultant
of the two forces acting on the
hook.

Finding the resultant force

One can use either parallelogram law or triangle rule.

One has to apply the law of cosines or the law of sines to the
triangle in order to obtain the magnitude of the resultant force and
its direction.

F1

F2

F1

FR
F2

FR F 1 F 2

Application

If =30 and T=5 kN, determine the

magnitude of the resultant force acting
on the eyebolt and its direction
measured clockwise from the posite x
axis.

Finding the components of a force

A force is to be resolved in 2 components along the axes of a 2D

coordinate system.
In order to determine the magnitude of each component, a
parallelogram is constructed first by drawing lines starting from the tip of
force, parallel to each axis.
The force components are established by simply joining the tail of the
force to the intersection points on the individual axes.
The parallelogram can then be reduced to a triangle and the law of
sines can be applied to determine the unknown magnitude of the
components.
v

F
u

F
u

F
Fu

Fv

Application

Resolve the horizontal 600 N into components acting

along the two axis and determine the magnitudes of
these components.

Addition of a system of coplanar forces

When a force is resolved into 2 components along the

x and y axis are called rectangular components.

Scalar notation
y

Fy

Fx F cos

Fx

Fy F sin

Addition of a system of coplanar forces

Cartesian vector notation

Fy

Fx

F Fx i Fy j

Addition of a system of coplanar forces

In order to determine the resultant of several coplanar forces

one has to resolve each force into its x and y components
and then to add the respective components using scalar
algebra.

F1 F1x i F1 y j

F2
F1
F3

F2 F2 x i F2 y j
F3 F3 x i F3 y j

Addition of a system of coplanar forces

The vector resultant is:

F R F 1 F 2 F 3 F1x F2 x F3 x i F1 y F2 y F3 y j
FRx i FRy j
FRx F1x F2 x F3 x
FRy F1 y F2 y F3 y

Addition of a system of coplanar forces

We can represent the components of the resultant force of any

number of coplanar forces symbolically by the algebraic sum of
the x and y components of all forces:

Fx
Fy

FRx
FRy

The magnitude of the resultant force will be given by:

FR

2
2
FRx
FRy

The direction of the resultant force will be given by:

arctg

FRy
FRx

FR

Application

Determine the magnitude of FA and and its direction

so that the resultant force is directed along the
positive x axis and has a magnitude of 1250 N.