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Continuum mechanics – MAE 640

Summer II – 2009

Dr. Konstantinos Sierros


263 ESB new add
kostas.sierros@mail.wvu.edu
Vectors and Tensors
• In order to express a natural law (Netwon’s laws, conservation of energy etc) a
coordinate system in a chosen frame of reference is needed
• The mathematical expression of the natural law depends on the chosen coordinate
system (i.e. can be different for different coordinate systems)
• However, natural laws should be independent of the coordinate system used
• Vectors and tensors are used in order to introduce natural laws with no use of a
coordinate system.

• In engineering the term vector is used to imply a


physical vector that has magnitude and direction
• In mathematics vectors are more abstract
objects
• Tensors are more general objects that have
magnitude and multiple direction(s)
In fact, physical vectors are often termed
first-order tensors

e.g. Tensors are used to describe a stress component (magnitude and two directions)
Vector algebra

• Review of formal definition of a physical vector


• Discussion of various products of vectors and their physical meaning
• Vector notation
• Vector operations
• Development of transformation equations among the components of a vector
Definition of a physical vector
• Nonscalars that obey certain rules are called vectors
• A physical vector is shown as a directed line segment with an arrow head at the end of
the line
• The length of the line represents magnitude
• The arrow indicates the direction

A Vector notation (printed, books)

Vector notation (written, HW) A , A orA

Magnitude notation of vector A


*Magnitude is a scalar (number)
Definition of a physical vector
• A vector of unit length is called unit vector

A A = Aeˆ A
eˆ A =
A
unit vector

• Thus, any vector may be represented as a product of its magnitude and a unit vector
along the vector
• A unit vector is used to designate direction and it does not have any physical
dimensions
• We denote a unit vector by a ‘hat’ (caret) above the bold letter
• A vector of zero magnitude is called zero or null vector
Vector addition
• Let A, B and C be any vectors
• A+B is the sum of A and B

• A+B = B+A (commutative)


• (A+B)+C=A+(B+C) (associative)
• A+0 = A (existence of zero vector)
• A+(-A) = 0 (existence of negative vector)

• If we want to subtract vectors; A-B = A+(-B) and subtraction reduces to the operation
of addition
Multiplication of vector by scalar
• Let A and B vectors and α and β be scalars (real numbers)
• To every vector A and every number α corresponds a unique vector α A

• α(βA)=(αβ)A (associative)
• (α+β)A= αA+βA (distributive scalar addition)
• α(A+B) =αA+αB (distributive vector addition)
• 1•A=A •1 = A and 0 •A=0

• Two vectors are equal if their magnitudes are equal and if their directions are equal
Linear independence of vectors
• We can algebraically state the concepts of collinear and coplanar vectors

A set of n vectors is linearly dependent if a set of n numbers β1,β2,…,βn can be found


such that;
β1A1+β2A2+…+ βnAn = 0

Where β1,β2,…,βn cannot all be zero

• If the above expression is not satisfied the vectors are linearly independent
• If two vectors are linearly dependent then they are collinear (same line)
• If three vectors are linearly dependent they are coplanar (same plane)
• Four (or more) vectors in 3D space are always linearly dependent

Linear dependence is a property of the family of vectors involved and not of


any particular vector
Scalar product

• When a force F acts on a mass point and moves though a displacement vector d, the
work done by the force vector is defined by the projection of the force in the direction of
displacement times the magnitude of the displacement

F • d ≡ (F, d) = Fd cos θ ,0 ≤ θ ≤ π

Scalar product or dot product or inner product


Scalar product

• A•B=B•A (scalar product is commutative)


• If A is perpendicular to B then A•B=AB cos(π/2)=0
• If A•B=0, either A or B is zero or A is perpendicular/orthogonal to B
• If A and B are parallel and in the same direction, A•B = AB cos0 = AB since cos0=1
• A•A = AA = A2
• A•(B+C) = (A•B)+(A •C) (scalar product follows the distributive law)

F •d
Vector product

• Consider the concept of a moment about O due to a force F acting at a point P as


shown in figure (a) above
• The magnitude of the moment by definition is;
M = Fl , F = F

• Where l is the perpendicular distance from point O to force F


• IF r denotes the vector OP
• θ is the angle between r and F

We have; l =r sinθ

Therefore; M = Fr sinθ (magnitude!!!)


Vector product

• Now we can assign a direction to the moment M


• Redrawing F and r so they have a common origin, figure (b), we see that r tends to
rotate because F rotates
• We can set up an axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane formed by F and r
• Along the axis of rotation we can draw a unit vector eM as shown in figure (a) below.
Vector product

• eM represents the direction of the moment M so we have;

M = Fr sin θeˆ M = r × F
magnitude Vector product

Therefore, M results from a special operation of vectors F and r and is called


a vector product!!!
Vector product

C = A × B = AB sin( A, B)eˆ = AB sin θeˆ


Notation for sine of the angle between vectors A and B
• The product of two vectors A and B is a vector C whose magnitude is equal to the
product of the magnitude of A and B times the sine of the angle measured from A to B
as shown in figure (b) below
Vector product
• Properties of vector product

A × B ≡ −B × A Vector product doesn't commute

If A parallel with B (θ = π or θ = 0) and sinθ = 0,


Then; AxB = 0

(A+B)xC = (AxC)+(BxC)
Distributive law still exists but the order of the factors must be maintained
Example: Velocity of a point of a rotating body

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