10 Force as a vector quantity

This chapter deals with force as an example of a vector quantity, and shows how forces
may be combined or taken apart. When you have completed it, you should
0 understand the terms 'resultant' and 'component'
be able to find the resultant of two or more forces
0 be able to find the components of a force in two given directions
0 appreciate that when a force is split into perpendicular components their magnitudes are
equal to the resolved parts of the force in the given directions
be familiar with the notation of vector addition and with the representation of forces by
column vectors
understand how the equilibrium of two or three forces can be expressed in vector
notation
be able to represent the equilibrium of three forces with a triangle of forces.
10.1 Combining forces geometrically
You have now met a number of different mechanics concepts, such as displacement, velocity,
acceleration and force. What these all have in common is that to describe them you have to give
both a magnitude and a direction. They are all examples of vector quantities.
Contrast this with mass and kinetic energy, which are completely described by their magnitude.
and which have no direction associated with them. These are examples of scalar quantities.
When you want to show that a symbol stands for a vector quantity, it is usual to write it with a
wavy line under the letter. Thus, a force of 10 N on a bearing of 020" might be denoted by
the symbol 2 . In print, in place of the wavy line, the symbol is written in bold type, as P .
You are already used to showing vector quantities in diagrams as arrou s. This is fine for
indicating the direction, but you also need a way of showing the
magnitude. A simple way of doing this is with the length of the
arrow. Choose a scale, such as 1 centimetre to 5 newtons; then
the force P would be represented by an arrow of length 2 cm
pointing on a bearing of 020, as in Fig. 10.1. Another force, Q ,
of 15 N on a bearing of 080, would be represented by an arrow
F I ~ 10 1
of length 3 cm. Now suppose that P and Q act on a particle at
the same time. In which direction will the particle accelerate?
To answer this, you want to find a single force which has the
1 * O 0
same effect on the particle as P and Q together. This is done
by taking the two arrows representing the forces, and placing
them so that the head of P coincides with the tail of Q, as in
Fig. 10.2. Then join the tail of P to the head of Q with a third
arrow. This arrow then represents (on the same scale) the single
7
force R which has the same effect as P and Q together. The
force R is called the resultant of P and Q .
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