Chapter 2Forces

UNIT 2
Introductions to vectors
After this weeks you should
be able to:
Write any vector in its
component form (2.1).
Calculate the magnitude of
any vector quantity (2.2).
Apply vector addition to
any number of vectors (2.3).
Copyright The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Permission required for reproduction or display.

SCALARS AND VECTORS

A scalar quantity can have magnitude, algebraic sign
(positive or negative), and units, but not a direction in space.
When scalars are added or subtracted, they do so in the
usual way: 3 kg of water plus 2 kg of water is always equal to
5 kg of water.
Adding vectors is different. All vectors follow the same rules
of addition - rules that take into account the directions of
the vectors being added.

Slide 2

SCALARS AND VECTORS

A 300-N force added to a 200-N force gives different results,
depending on the directions of the two forces.
If two friends are trying to push a car out of a snowbank,
they help each other by applying forces in the same direction
so the sum of the two forces is as large as possible.
If they push in opposite directions, the net effect of the two
forces would be much smaller.

Slide 3

Scalars and Vectors

Arrows are used to represent vectors. The
direction of the arrow gives the direction of
the vector.

By convention, the length of a vector

arrow is proportional to the magnitude
of the vector.
8N
4N

SCALARS AND VECTORS

An arrow over a boldface symbol indicates a vector
quantity:
When the symbol for a vector is written without the arrow
and in italics rather than boldface ( F ), it stands for the
magnitude of the vector (which is a scalar).
Absolute value bars are also used to stand for the
magnitude of a vector, so
The magnitude of a vector may have units and is never
negative; it can be positive or zero.
Slide 5

GRAPHICAL VECTOR ADDITION

Slide 7

Often it is necessary to add one vector to another.

3m

5m

8m

GRAPHICAL VECTOR ADDITION

What if all the vectors start at the

same point? How would one draw the
resultant of such number of vector?
Slide 10

Example 2.2
Two draft horses, Sam and Bob, are dragging a sled loaded
with jugs of maple syrup. They pull with horizontal forces of
equal magnitude 1.50 kN on the front of the sled.
The force due to Sam is in the
direction 15 north of east, and
the force due to Bob is 15 south
of east.
Use the graphical method of
vector addition to find the magnitude and direction of the
sum of the forces exerted on the sled by the two horses.
Slide 11

Example 2.2
Strategy Use a ruler and a protractor. The protractor is used
to draw the vector arrows in the correct directions and the
ruler is used to draw them with the correct lengths.
Choose to represent 200 N as a length of 1 cm, so the 1.50kN forces are drawn as vector arrows of length

Slide 12

Example 2.2
Solution

Measurement of the arrow that represents the vector sum

yields 14.5 cm. The magnitude of the sum is, therefore,

Slide 13

Example 2.2
Solution

The northward pull of Sam's force is cancelled by

southward pull of Bob's force. The eastward pulls of the
two horses add to give a direction that is due east.
Slide 14

VECTOR ADDITION USING COMPONENTS

Components of a Vector
Any vector can be expressed as the sum of vectors parallel
to the x-, y-, and (if needed) z-axes.
The x-, y-, and z- components of a vector indicate the
magnitude and direction of the three vectors along the
axes.
A component has magnitude, units, and an algebraic
sign ( + or ).
The sign of a component indicates the direction along that
axis.
The process of finding the components of a vector is called
resolving the vector into its components.
Slide 15

VECTOR ADDITION USING

COMPONENTS
Finding Components Consider a force vector
that has
magnitude 9.4 N and is directed 58 below the +x-axis ).
Think of as the sum of two vectors,
one parallel to the x-axis and the
other parallel to the y-axis.
The magnitudes of these two vectors
are the magnitudes (absolute values)
of the x- and y-components of .

Slide 16

VECTOR ADDITION USING COMPONENTS

Slide 17

Problem-Solving Strategy: Finding the x- and yComponents of a Vector from Its Magnitude
and Direction
1. Draw a right triangle with the vector as the hypotenuse
and the other two sides parallel to the x- and y-axes.
2. Determine one of the angles in the triangle.
3. Use trigonometric functions to find the magnitudes of
the components. Make sure your calculator is in
degree mode to evaluate trigonometric functions of
angles in degrees and radian mode for angles in
radians.
4. Determine the correct algebraic sign for each
component.
Slide 18

VECTOR ADDITION USING

COMPONENTS
Finding Components

Slide 19

Problem-Solving Strategy: Finding the

Magnitude and Direction of a Vector from Its xand y-Components
1. Sketch the vector on a set of x- and y-axes in the
correct quadrant, according to the signs of the
components.
2. Draw a right triangle with the vector as the
hypotenuse and the other two sides parallel to the xand y-axes.
3. In the right triangle, choose which of the unknown
angles you want to determine.
Slide 20

Problem-Solving Strategy: Finding the

Magnitude and Direction of a Vector from Its xand y-Components
4. Use the inverse tangent function to find the angle.
The lengths of the sides of the triangle represent Fx
and Fy.
If is opposite the side parallel to the x-axis, then tan
= opposite/adjacent = Fx / Fy .
If is opposite the side parallel to the y-axis, then tan
= opposite/adjacent = Fy / Fx .
Slide 21

Problem-Solving Strategy: Finding the

Magnitude and Direction of a Vector from Its xand y-Components
5. Interpret the angle: specify whether it is the angle
below the horizontal, or the angle west of south, or
the angle clockwise from the negative y-axis, etc.
6. Use the Pythagorean theorem to find the magnitude
of the vector.

Slide 22

VECTOR ADDITION USING

COMPONENTS
Finding Magnitude and Direction
We can find a vectors magnitude
and direction from its components.
Fx = 5.0 N, Fy = 8.0 N

Slide 23

Example 2.3
Suppose you are
standing on the floor
doing your daily
exercises.
For one exercise, you lift
your arms up and out
until they are horizontal. In this position, assume that the
deltoid muscle exerts a force of 270 N at an angle of 15
above the horizontal on the humerus.
What are the x- and y-components of this force?
Slide 24

Example 2.3
Solution

Slide 25

Example 2.3
Check

Slide 26

Problem-Solving Strategy: Adding Vectors

Using Components
1. Find the x- and y-components of each vector to be
added.
2. Add the x-components ( with their algebraic signs ) of
the vectors to find the x-component of the sum. (If
the signs are not correct, the sum will not be correct.)
3. Add the y-components (with their algebraic signs) of
the vectors to find the y-component of the sum.
4. If necessary, use the x- and y-components of the sum
to find the magnitude and direction of the sum.
Slide 27

VECTOR ADDITION USING

COMPONENTS
Adding Vectors Using Components

Slide 28

VECTOR ADDITION USING

COMPONENTS
Unit Vector Notation
The unit vectors
are defined as vectors of magnitude 1 that point in the +x-,
+y-, and +z-directions, respectively.
In some books, you may see them written as
respectively.
They are called unit vectors because the magnitude of each
is the pure number 1they do not have physical units such
as kilograms or meters.
Slide 29

VECTOR ADDITION USING COMPONENTS

Unit Vector Notation
Any vector
can be written as the sum of three vectors
along the coordinate axes:

Slide 30

r r r
C= A+B
r
A = Ax x + Ay y

PHY144

r
B = Bx x + B y y

r
C = Ax x + Ay y + Bx x + B y y
= ( Ax + Bx )x + (Ay + B y )y

C x = Ax + Bx
PHY144

C y = Ay + B y

Example 2.4
In a traction apparatus, three cords
pull on the central pulley, each
with magnitude 22.0 N, in the
directions shown in the figure.
What is the sum of the forces
exerted on the central pulley by
the three cords?
Give the magnitude and direction
of the sum.

Slide 33

Free-body diagram
Reasoning Strategy
Select an object(s) to which the equations of equilibrium are
to be applied.
Draw a free-body diagram for each object chosen above.
Include only forces acting on the object, not forces the object
exerts on its environment.
Choose a set of x, y axes for each object and resolve all forces
in the free-body diagram into components that point along these
axes.
Apply the equations and solve for the unknown quantities.

Example 2.4
Solution

Slide 35

Example 2.4
Solution

Slide 36

Example 2.4
Solution

Slide 37

SELF ASSESSMENT
(a)

Revisit example 2.2 from your text book, and calculate the
magnitude and direction of resultant force using vector components.

(b)

Two ropes are attached to a heavy box to pull it along the

floor. One rope applies a force of 475 newton's in a direction due
west; the other applies a force of 315 newton's in a direction due
south. As we will see later in the text, force is a vector quantity. (a)
How much force should be applied by a single rope, and (b) in what
direction (relative to due west), if it is to accomplish the same effect
as the two forces added together?

(c)

(d)

(d)
(e)

The magnitudes of the four displacement vectors shown in the

drawing are A = 16.0 m, B = 11.0 m, C = 12.0 m, and D = 26.0 m.
Calculate the magnitude and directional angle for the resultant that
occurs when these vectors are added together.