MotionInTwoDimensions

RENEDESCARTES
(17361806)

GALILEOGALILEI
(15641642)

VectorsinPhysics
Allphysicalquantitiesareeitherscalarsorvectors
Scalars
Ascalarquantityhasonlymagnitude.
Commonexamplesarelength,area,volume,
time,mass,energy,voltage,andtemperature.
Inkinematics,distanceandspeedarescalars.
Vectors
Avectorquantityhasbothmagnitudeanddirection.
Commonexamplesareacceleration,
force,electricfield,momentum.
Inkinematics,position,displacement,and
velocityarevectors.

RepresentingVectors
Asimplewaytorepresentavectorisbyusinganarrow.
Thearrowslength
representsthe
vectorsmagnitude

Thearrows
orientationrepresents
thevectorsdirection

Inphysics,avectorsangle(direction)iscalledthetaand
thesymbolis.Twoangleconventionsareused:
90
Standard
Angle
180

N,0

270

Bearing
Angle
0

W,270

E,90

S,180

VectorMath
VectorEquivalence
Twovectorsareequalif
theyhavethesamelength
andthesamedirection.

v v
ab

v
b

equivalenceallowsvectorstobetranslated

VectorOpposites
Twovectorsareoppositeif
theyhavethesamelength
andtheoppositedirection.

v
v
a c

v
a

v
a

v
c

oppositesallowsvectorstobesubtracted

HeadtoTailAddition
VectorsaddaccordingtotheHeadtoTailrule.
Thetailofavectorisplacedattheheadofthepreviousvector.
Theresultantvectorisfromthetailofthefirstvectortotheheadof
thelastvector.(Notethattheresultantitselfisnotheadtotail.)
FortheVectorFieldTrip,theresultantvectoris68.6meters,79.0

SouthLawn
VectorWalk

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website
clickfor
applet

GraphicalAdditionofVectors
VectorAddition
VectorsaddaccordingtotheHeadtoTailrule.Theresultant
vectorisntalwaysfoundwithsimplearithmetic!

simplevector
addition

righttriangle
vectoraddition

nonrighttriangle
vectoraddition

VectorSubtraction
Tosubtractavectorsimplyaddtheoppositevector.
clickfor
applet
simplevector
subtraction

righttriangle
vectorsubtraction

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applet

ResolvingVectors
Itisusefultoresolveorbreakdownvectorsinto
componentvectors.
(Sameasfindingrectangularcoordinatesfrompolar
coordinatesinmath.)
opp y
sin

hyp r
v
r

v
y

v
x

adj x
cos

hyp r
opp y
tan

adj x

FindingaResultant
Oftenavectorscomponentsareknown,andtheresultant
ofthesecomponentsmustbefound.
(Sameasfindingpolarcoordinatesfromrectangular
coordinatesinmath.)
Findingthemagnitude
oftheresultant:
v
r

x2 y2 r 2
v
y

x2 y2

Findingthedirection
oftheresultant:

v
x

y
tan
x

tan
1

y
x

ResolvingVectors
Example:Abaseballisthrownat30m/satanangleof35
fromtheground.Findthehorizontalandvertical
componentsofthebaseballsvelocity.
Verticalvelocity:

y
sin35
30
30m / s

35

v
x

v
y

y 30sin35 17.2m / s
Horizontalvelocity:
x
cos 35
30

x 30cos 35 24.6m / s

FindingaResultant
Example:Amodelrocketismovingforwardat10m/s
anddownwardat4m/safterithasreacheditspeak.
Whatoverallvelocity(magnitudeanddirection)does
therockethaveatthismoment?
Findtherocketsspeed(magnitude)
x2 y2 r 2
10 2 4 2 r 2

10m / s

4m / s
v
r

r 116 10.8m / s
Findtherocketsangle(direction)
4
tan
0.40
10

tan 1 0.40 21.8

21.8belowhorizontal(or21.8)

ProjectileMotion
vx

vx

vy
vy

vy

vy
Vertical:
freefallmotion,
ay=g=9.8m/s2

vx

vx

vx

vx

Horizontal:
constantmotion,ax=0

Projectilemotion=
constantmotion+
freefallmotion

vx
vy

velocityistangent
tothepathof
motion

vyf vyi gt
y vyi t gt

vy

1
2

1
2

yi

vyf t

vyf vyi 2gy

2

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applet
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applet

x vx t

vy

vx

resultantvelocity:

v vx 2 v y 2

v vy

vy
tan
vx
1

ProjectileMotionatanAngle
vy
vy
vx

v
vx

vy

vx

verticalvelocity,
vyiszerohere!

vy

vx

vx

vy

vx
v
vx

vx
vy

vyi

vx
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applet

velocity
components:

vy

vx v cos
vyi v sin

vx
vy

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applet

RelativeVelocity
clickforreference
Allvelocityismeasuredfroma
frameapplet
referenceframe(orpointofview).
Velocitywithrespecttoareference
frameiscalledrelativevelocity.
Arelativevelocityhastwosubscripts,
onefortheobject,theotherforthe
referenceframe.
refersto
theobject
Relativevelocityproblemsrelatethe
motionofanobjectintwodifferent
referenceframes.

clickforrelative
velocityapplet

referstothe
referenceframe

velocityofobjecta velocityofreference velocityofobjecta

relativeto
framebrelativeto
relativeto
referenceframeb
referenceframec
referenceframec

RelativeVelocity
Attheairport,ifyouwalkonamovingsidewalk,yourvelocityisincreased
bythemotionofyouandthemovingsidewalk.

vpg=velocityofpersonrelativetoground
vps=velocityofpersonrelativetosidewalk
vsg=velocityofsidewalkrelativetoground

Whenflyingagainstaheadwind,theplanesgroundspeed
accountsforthevelocityoftheplaneandthevelocityoftheair.
vpe=velocityofplanerelativetoearth
vpa=velocityofplanerelativetoair
vae=velocityofairrelativetoearth

RelativeVelocity
Whenflyingwithacrosswind,theplanesgroundspeedisthe
resultantofthevelocityoftheplaneandthevelocityoftheair.

vpe=velocityofplanerelativetoearth
vpa=velocityofplanerelativetoair
vae=velocityofairrelativetoearth

Pilotsmustflywithcrosswindbutnotbesentoffcourse.

Sometimesthevectorsumsaremorecomplicated!