ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

ME 2560 STATICS
Chapter II. Vectors

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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

1. Scalars and Vectors

Scalar. A scalar is a quantity that requires only a sign and a magnitude
to be totally described. Length (m), surface (m2), volume (m3), work (J),
mass (kg), mass flow rate (kg/s), density (kg/m3).

Vector. A vector is a quantity that requires magnitude, direction and

sense to be described. In order to express a vector quantity is necessary
to establish a frame of reference. Examples of vector quantities are:
position, velocity, acceleration, force, etc.

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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

2. Vector Operations
Multiplication or Division of a Vector by a Scalar. Given a scalar a and
a vector A:
r
A = 2i 6 j + 3k a = 3.5
r
aA = 7i + 21 j 10.5k
r
A
= 0.571i + 1.714 j 0.857 k
a

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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

Vector Addition. To add two (or more) vectors is necessary to add each
component of the first vector with the corresponding component the
second vector. r r
A = 3i + j B = 4i + 4 j
r r
A + B = 3i + j + 4i + 4 j
r r
A + B = 7i + 5 j
Y Y

B
A +B B

X A
X

Figure 2.1. Graphic vector addition.

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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

Vector Subtraction. The difference of two vectors is done by

subtracting each component of the subtrahend vector from the
corresponding components of the minuend vector.
r r
A = 3i + j B = 4i + 4 j
r r
A B = i 3 j Y
Y

A A

X
X
AB B

Graphic vector subtraction. 5

Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

3. Vector Addition of Forces

Experimental evidence shows that force is a vector quantity since
requires magnitude, direction and sense to be completely described.
Equilibrium analysis frequently requires: 1)calculating the resultant
force of a system of forces, 2) finding the orthogonal or projected
components of a known resultant.
These tasks are achieved using right and oblique triangle relations.
a b c
c=(a2+ b2)1/2 = =
c sin = b/c
sin sin sin
b cos = a/c c c 2 = a 2 + b 2 2ab cos
b
tan = b/a
a
a
Examples 6
Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

4. Addition of a System of Coplanar Forces

A vector can be described by
Magnitude, Direction, and Sense

Components for Cartesian coordinates in terms of x , y ,

and z components
r
F = Fx i + Fy j + Fz k
Fx, Fy, Fz, are the components of F in the x, y, z directions

i, j, and k are the unit vectors for the x, y, z directions

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Chapter II. Vectors
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For a system of coplanar forces, each force will

have only two components:
r
F = Fx i + Fy j
y
r
F = Fx2 + Fy2
F Fy
= tan
1

Fy Fx
x
Fx
Determination of the magnitude and direction of a vector

Examples
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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

5. Cartesian Vectors
Cartesian system of coordinates
(x, y, z)
Right Handed Coordinate System

z y x

y x z

x z y
Several combinations of the right handed Cartesian
coordinate system.
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Chapter II. Vectors
r
A
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

Rectangular Components of a Vector

A vector can have up to three components, one for each axis: x, y, z
r
Thus, in general A = Ax i + Ay j + Az k
i, j, and k are the unit vectors for the x, y, z directions
Unit Vectors
The unit vector of a given vector contains its direction with a
magnitude of one.
r
A
A = Ar = x

i + Ay

j + Az

k
A Ax + Ay + Az
2 2 2

r r
A
Represents the magnitude of A 10
Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

Direction of a Cartesian Vector

The orientation of a vector is defined by the direction angles , , and .

, , and are measured between the base of the vector and the positive
x, y, and z axes located at the base of the vector.
Ax Ay
y cos = r cos = r
Ay A A
A

Az
Ax cos = r
x A
Az
z Cos , Cos , and Cos arercalled
Graphic description of the Direction Cosines of vector A
coordinate direction angles.
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Chapter II. Vectors
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Additional Unit Vector Relations

Ax Ay Az
Since cos = r cos = r cos = r
A A A
Ax i + Ay j + Az k
and A =
Ax2 + Ay2 + Az2
Thus A = cos i + cos j + cos k

A = 1 = cos 2 + cos 2 + cos 2

Finally:
r r r r r
A = A A = A cos i + A cos j + A cos k
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Chapter II. Vectors
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6. Addition and Subtraction of Cartesian Vectors

The addition (or subtraction) of two vectors that are expressed in
terms of Cartesian coordinates is achieved by adding (or subtracting)
term by term the corresponding components of each vector.
r r
A = Ax i + Ay j + Az k B = Bx i + B y j + Bz k
r r r
R = A + B = ( Ax + Bx )i + ( Ay + B y ) j + ( Az + Bz )k
r r r
R' = A B = ( Ax Bx )i + ( Ay B y ) j + ( Az Bz )k

Examples
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Chapter II. Vectors
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7. Position Vectors
A Position Vector is a vector that locates a point in space with
respect to another point.

The position vector directed from P1(x1, y1, z1) to P2(x2, y2, z2) is

r
r = ( x 2 x1 )i + ( y 2 y1 ) j + ( z 2 z1 )k
y
r P2(x2, y2, z2)
P1(x1, y1, z1) x
z
Graphic description of a position vector. 14
Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

8. Force Vector Along a Line

When the direction of a force is specified by two points through
which its line of action passes, the vector force can be described by
multiplying the unit vector of the position vector of these two points
times the magnitude of the force exerted.

r r F
r
F = F y
r r P2(x2, y2, z2)
r P1(x1, y1, z1) x
z

Examples
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Chapter II. Vectors
ME2560 Statics Fall 2014

9. Dot Product (Scalar Product)

When we need to determine the angle between two 3-D vectors, Dot
Product is the most adequate way of approaching the problem.

B r r r r
A B = A B cos
A 0 180
o o

Where:
r r
A B = Ax Bx + Ay B y + Az Bz

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Chapter II. Vectors
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Dot Product Laws of Operation

The following rules govern the dot product operations:

1.Commutative law:
AB = B A

2.Multiplication by a scalar:
a(AB) = (aA) B = A (aB) = (AB) a

3.Distributive law:
A (B+D) = (AB) + (AD)
Where A and B are vectors
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Chapter II. Vectors
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Dot Product Laws of Operation

r r r r
According to: A B = A B cos

The dot product operations of the unit vectors

corresponding to the coordinate axes are :

i i = 1 i j = 0 i k = 0
j j = 1 j k = 0 k k = 1

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Chapter II. Vectors
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r r
A
A|| = A cos = A u
A
x x'
A|| = A Cos

Figure 2.6. Vector projected on a line.

r
A = A|| + A

Examples
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Chapter II. Vectors