Vectors and Scalars

Week 2

PHYSICS 10 - General Physics 1

Objectives

Differentiate vectors and scalar quantities

Add vectors using graphical methods
Determine the components of a vector
Determine the magnitude and direction of
vectors using its components
Define unit vectors

Vector and Scalar

Scalar quantity described by a single number
Vector quantity has both magnitude and
direction in space
Examples:
Temperature = 20C (Scalar)
Displacement = 20 m, South (Vector)

Vectors
Represented by a letter or symbol in boldface
italic type with an arrow above them

Arrows are used to represent vectors

geometrically, plotted in a Cartesian plane
Two vectors are parallel if they same direction
(otherwise they are antiparallel)
The magnitude of a vector, is a scalar quantity

Vector addition and subtraction

Graphical methods
Parallelogram (or triangle law)

Polygon method

Vector addition and subtraction

Resultant vector vector sum
Properties
Commutative:
Associative:

Vector addition and subtraction

Subtracting vectors

(negating a vector is equivalent to

changing its direction to the
opposite)
Thus:

Review Questions
1.

A circular racetrack has a radius of 500 m. What is the

displacement of a cyclist when she travels around the track
from the north side to the south side? When she makes one
complete circle around the track? Explain your reasoning.

2.

Can you find two vectors with different lengths that have a
vector sum of zero? What length restrictions are required
for three vectors to have a vector sum of zero? Explain your
reasoning.

3.

Hearing rattles from a snake, you make two rapid

displacements of magnitude 1.8 m and 2.4 m. In sketches
(roughly to scale), show how your two displacements might
add up to give a resultant of magnitude (a) 4.2 m; (b) 0.6 m;
(c) 3.0 m.

Components of Vectors

Components of Vectors
Finding a vectors magnitude and direction from its
components.
and
Using components to calculate the vector sum
(resultant) of two or more vectors.

Exercise
1.
Find the magnitude and direction of the vector
represented by the following pairs of components: (a) ,
(b) ,
2. Vector is 2.80 cm long and is above the x-axis in the
first quadrant. Vector is 1.90 cm long and is below the
x-axis in the fourth quadrant. Use components to find
the magnitude and direction of (a) (b) (c) . In each
case, sketch the vector addition or subtraction and
show that your numerical answers are in qualitative
agreement with your sketch.

Unit Vectors

Unit Vectors

Position and position vector

We define position as the location of an object in space
and specified in a coordinate axis

In determining the position of an object in space, we use

the position vector,

r rxi ry j
The position vector determines the location of the object
in space

Example:
The location of the hen is

Position

r 8i 4j m

r 5

Where
8 m is the x component of
the hens position
and
4 is the vertical
component of the hens
position

Displacement

Displacement is the
shortest distance between
two points
Displacement is defined as
the change in the position
between two points

Displacement is a vector
quantity

r rf ri

Displacement
Example:
Determine the displacement of an object that is
j m final position at
initially located at ri 2.0i 8.0and
Solution: rf 4.0i 3.0 j m

r r f ri

r 4.0i 3.0 j m 2.0i 8.0 j m

r 2.0i 11.0 j m

Exercise
1. (a) Write each vector in the figure in terms of
the unit vectors and and find
2. (b) Find the magnitude and direction of .

Problems
Three horizontal ropes pull on a large stone
1.
stuck in the ground, producing the vector forces ,
and shown in the fig. Find the magnitude and
direction of a fourth force on the stone that will
make the vector sum of the four forces zero.

Problems
2. A sailor in a small sailboat encounters shifting winds.
She sails 2.00 km east, then 3.50 km southeast, and then
an additional distance in an unknown direction. Her final
position is 5.80 km directly east of the starting point (Fig.
P1.72). Find the magnitude and direction of the third leg of
the journey. Draw the vector addition diagram and show
that it is in qualitative agreement with your numerical
solution.

Review

When two vectors A and B represented in

terms of
their components, we express vector sum R using
unit vectors:
A Axi Ay j

B Bxi B y j

R A B
Axi Ay j Bxi B y j
Ax Bx i Ay B y j
Rxi R y j

(1.15)

 If vectors do not all lie in the xy-plane, we need a

third component. We introduce a third unit vectork
that points in the direction of the positive z-axis.

A Axi Ay j Az k

B Bxi B y j Bz k
(1.16)

R Ax Bx i Ay B y j Ax Bz k

R Rxi R y j Rz k
(1.17)

Example 1.9 Using Unit Vectors

Given the two displacements

D 6i 3 j k m and E 4i 5 j 8k m

Find the magnitude of the displacement 2 D E.
Solution:
Identify, Set Up and Execute:
, we
have
Letting
F 2D E

F 2 6i 3 j k m 4i 5 j 8k
12 4 i 6 5 j 2 8 k m

F 8i 11 j 10k m

Example 1.9 (SOLN)

The units of the vectors D, E, and F are meters, so the

components of these vectors are also in meters. From
Eqn 1.12,
F Fx 2 Fy 2 Fz 2
F

8 m 2 11 m 2 10 m 2 17 m

Evaluate:
Working with unit vectors makes vector addition and
subtraction no more complicated than adding or
subtraction ordinary numbers. Be sure to check for
simple arithmetic errors.

Products of Vectors
Kinds:
1. Scalar Product (dot product)
results to a scalar quantity
2. Vector Product (cross-product)
yields to another vector

Right-hand Rule

Vector product

A B

Review of Products of Vectors

We can express many physical relationships

concisely by using products of vectors.
There are two different kinds of products of vectors.
The first, called the scalar product (dot product),
which yields a result that is a scalar quantity. The
second is the vector product (cross product) which
yields another vector.
Scalar product

The scalar product of two vectors A and B is

denoted by A B.
The scalar product is also called the dot product.

Scalar product

We define A B to be the
magnitude of A multiplied
by the component of B parallel to A ,

A B AB cos A B cos
(1.18)

Scalar product

We can also express A B B A cos. AB cos
The scalar product of two perpendicular vectors is
always zero.

0 to 90
90
90 to 180

Scalar product
Positive
Zero
Negative

Scalar product
Scalar product obeys the commutative law of
multiplication; order of the two vectors does not
matter.

We can calculate the scalar product A Bdirectly if

we know the x-, y-, and z-components of Aand B.

Using Eqn 1.18, we find
i i j j k k 1 1 cos 0 1
i j i k j k 1 1 cos 90

(1.19)

1.10 Products of Vectors

Scalar product

Now, we express Aand Bin terms of their

components, expand the product, and use the
products of unit vectors

A B Axi Ay j Az k Bxi B y j Bz k
Ax Bxi i Ax B y i j Ax Bz i k
Ay Bx j i Ay B y j j Ay Bz j k
Az Bx k i Az B y k j Az Bz k k

(1.20)

1.10 Products of Vectors

Scalar product
From Eqns 1.19, six of the nine terms are zero, thus

1.21
A B Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz
Scalar product of two vectors is the sum of the
products of their respective components.
Eqn 1.21 can also be used to find the scalar product
of and .

A
B

Sample problem : scalar product

Find the scalar product A Bof the two vectors
shown in figure. The magnitudes of the vectors are
A = 4.00 and B = 5.00.

(SOLUTION)

Identify and Set Up:

2 ways to calculate the scalar product. First way uses
the magnitudes of the vectors and the angle between
them (Eqn 1.18), and the second uses the
components of the two vectors (Eqn 1.21).
Execute:
Using first approach, angle between the 2 vectors is
=130.0 53.0 = 77.0, so

A B AB cos 4.00 5.00 cos 77.0 4.50
This is positive as angle between and is between
A
B
0 and 90.

Execute:
For second approach, find
of the 2
the components

vectors. Since angles of A and B are given with

respect to the +x-axis, and these angles are measured
in the sense from the +x-axis to the
+y-axis, we use Eqns 1.17: Ax 4.00 cos 53.0 2.407
Ay 4.00 sin 53.0 3.195
Ax 0

Bx 5.00 cos 130.0 3.214

B y 5.00 sin 130.0 3.830
Bz 0

Example 1.10 (SOLN)

Execute:
The z-components are zero because both vectors lie
in the xy-plane. As in Example 1.7, we are keeping
one too many significant figures in the components
and will round them at the end. From Eqn 1.21,

A B Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz
2.407 3.214 3.195 3.830 0 0
Evaluate: 4.50
We get the same result for the scalar product with
both methods, as we should.

Key Equations

Rx Ax Bx
R y Ay B y

A Axi Ay j Az k

B Bxi B y j Bz k
C AB sin

A B AB cos A B cos

A B Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz

(1.10)
(1.16)
(1.22)
(1.18)

1.21

C x Ay Bz Az B y
C y Az Bx Ax Bz
C z Ax B y Ay Bx

1.27

Finding Angles with Scalar Product

Find the angle between the two vectors

A 2i 3 j k
and
B 4i 2 j k
Solution:
Identify:
The scalar product of two vectors Aand is related to
B
the angle between them and to the magnitudes A
and B. The scalar product is also related to the
components of the two vectors. If we are given the
components of the
vectors, we first determine the
scalar product A B and the values of A and B, then
determine the target variable .

Finding Angles with Scalar Product

Set Up and Execute:

Use either Eqns 1.18 or 1.21.
Equating these two and
rearranging,
cos

Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz

AB
This formula can be used to find the angle between

any two vectors A and B. The components of Aare

Ax = 2, Ay = 3 and Az = 1, and components of B are

Bx = 4, By = 2 and Bz = 1.

Finding Angles with Scalar Product

Set Up and Execute:

Thus, A B Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz
2 4 3 2 1 1 3
A

Ax Ay Az 2 3 1 14

B B x 2 B y 2 Bz 2
cos

42 22 1 2

Ax Bx Ay B y A z Bz

100

AB

0.175
14 21

21

Example 1.11 Finding Angles with Scalar Product

Evaluate:
As a check on this result, note that the scalar product

A B is negative. This means that is between 90 and
180, in agreement with our answer.

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
Vector product of two vectors and B, also called
A
the cross product, denoted by
.
A B
To define the vector product, we draw the vectors as
shown.

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
The vector product is defined as a vector quantity

with a direction perpendicular to the plane (bothA

and B) and a magnitude equal to AB sin .

If C A B
C AB sin
(1.22)
The vector product of any two parallel or
antiparallel vectors is always zero.
The vector product of any vector with itself is zero.

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
There are always two directions perpendicular to a
given plane, one on each side of the plane.We
choose which of these is the direction of A B.
This right-hand rule is what we use to determine
the direction of the vector product.
Note that vector product is not commutative.
In

fact, for any two vectors A and B

A B B A
(1.23)

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product

If we know the components of A and B, we can

calculate the components of the vector product,
using a procedure similar to scalar product.
First, we work out the multiplication table for the
unit vectors i, j , k. The vector product of any vector
with itself is zero, so i i j j k k 0
The boldface zero illustrates that each product is a
zero vector, that is, all components equal to zero
with an undefined direction.

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
Using Eqns 1.22 and 1.23 and the right-hand rule,
we find
i j j i k
j k k j i
k i i k j

1.24

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product

Express A and B in terms of their components and

corresponding unit vectors,

A B ( Axi Ay j Az k) ( Bxi B y j Bz k)

Axi Bxi Axi B y j Axi Bz k

Ay j Bxi Ay j B y j Ay j Bz k
Az k Bxi Az k B y j Az k Bz k

1.25

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
Rewrite individual terms as Axi B y j Ax B y i j
and so on. Evaluating with the multiplication table
for the unit vectors and grouping the terms, we find

A B Ay Bz Az B y i Az Bx Ax Bz j
Ax B y Ay Bz k
(1.26)
Thus the components of are given by
C A B
C x Ay Bz Az B y
C y Az Bx Ax Bz
C z Ax B y Ay Bx

1.27

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
Vector product can also be expressed in
determinant form as:
i

A B Ax
Bx

j
Ay
By

k
Az
Bz

1.10 Products of Vectors

Vector product
All vector products of the unit vectors i, j , and k
would have signs opposite to those in Eqn 1.24.

Axis system where i j k is called a righthanded system. The usual practice is to use only
right-handed systems.

Example 1.12 Calculating a vector product

Vector A has magnitude

6 units and is in the direction
of the +x-axis. Vector B has magnitude 4 units and lies
in the xy-plane, making an angle of 30
with the +xA. B
axis. Find the vector product

Example 1.12 (SOLN)

Identify and Set Up:

Find the vector product in one of two ways. First way

is to use Eqn 1.22 to determine the magnitude of A B
and then use the right-hand rule to find the direction
of the vector product.
Second
way is to use the

B to find the components of the

components of A and

vector product C A B using Eqn 1.27.
Execute:
With first approach using Eqn 1.22,
AB sin 6 4 sin 30 12

Example 1.12 (SOLN)

Execute:

From right-hand rule, direction of A Bis along the

+z-axis, so we have A .B 12k
For second approach, we first write the components

of A and B A 6
Ay 0
Az 0
x

Bx 4 cos 30 2 3 B y 4 sin 30 Bz 0

Defining C A,we
B have
C x 0 0 0 2 0
C y 0 2 3 6 0 0

C z 6 2 0 2 3 12

Example 1.12 (SOLN)

Execute:

The vector product C has only a z-component, and it

lies along the +z-axis. The magnitude agrees with the
result we obtained with the first approach, as it
should.
Evaluate:
The first approach was more direct because the
magnitudes of each vector and angle between them
was known, and both vectors lay in one of the planes
of the coordinate system. Sometimes, we need to find
the vector product of 2 vectors that are not
conveniently oriented or which only components are
given. We use the second approach for such cases.

Concepts Summary

Fundamental physical quantities of mechanics

are mass, length and time.
Corresponding basic SI units are the kilogram,
the meter, and the second.
Other units for these quantities, related by
powers of 10, are identified by adding prefixes to
the basic units.
Derived units for other physical quantities are
products or quotients of the basic units.
Equations must by dimensionally consistent; two
terms can be added only when they have the same
units.

Concepts Summary

Accuracy of a measurement can be indicated by

the number of significant figures or by a stated
uncertainty.
Result of a calculation usually has no more
significant figures than the input data.
When only crude estimates are available for input
data, we can often make useful order-ofmagnitude estimates.
Scalar quantities are numbers, and combine with
usual rules of arithmetic.

Concepts Summary

Vector quantities have direction as well as

magnitude, and combine according to the rules of
vector addition.

A and B are addedby

Graphically, two vectors

placing the tail of B at the head, or tip, of A.

The
vector sum A B then extends from the tail of
toA the head ofB .
Vector addition can be carried out using
components of vectors.

R

B
The x-component
of
is
the
sum
of
the
x

components of A and B , and likewise for y- and

z-components.

Concepts Summary

Unit vectors describe directions in space.

A unit vector has a magnitude of one, with no
units.
, j , k
i
The unit vectors,
aligned with the x-, y-, and zaxes of a rectangular coordinate system, are

especially useful.
A
B

The scalar product

C of
A two
B vectors and is a
scalar quantity
.

It can be expressed
A in Btwo ways: in terms of the
magnitudes of and and the angle between

the
A twoBvectors, or in terms of the components of
and .

Concepts Summary

The scalar
for any two
product

is commutative;
vectors A and B , A B B A .
The scalar product of two perpendicular vectors is
zero.

B
The
vector
product
of two vectors A and

B is another vector C.
The magnitude of A B depends on the
magnitudes of Aand B and the angle between
the two vectors.
The direction of A B is perpendicular to the
plane of the two vectors being multiplied, as given
by the right-hand rule.

Concepts Summary

The components of C A B can be
expressed in
terms of the components of A and B.
The vector product
for any

is notcommutative;

two vectors A and B , A B . B A
The vector product of two parallel or antiparallel
vectors is zero.

Key Equations

Rx Ax Bx
R y Ay B y

A Axi Ay j Az k

B Bxi B y j Bz k
C AB sin

A B AB cos A B cos

A B Ax Bx Ay B y Az Bz

(1.10)
(1.16)
(1.22)
(1.18)

1.21

C x Ay Bz Az B y
C y Az Bx Ax Bz
C z Ax B y Ay Bx

1.27