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Tutorials Topic 1

1. One displacement vector sa has a magnitude 3.56 km and points due North. A
second displacement vector sb has a magnitude 5.67 km and points due North:

(a) Find the magnitude and direction of sa + sb.

(b) Find the magnitude and direction of sa - sb.
(c) Find the magnitude and direction of sb – sa.

2. At the moment of take-off, a Boeing 747 would typically have a velocity of 80 ms-1
with an angle of 10o to the horizontal runway:
(a) Calculate the vertical component of the aircraft’s velocity at the moment of take-
off.
(b) Calculate the horizontal component of the aircraft’s velocity at the moment of
take-off.

3. A van is being pulled by two forces that are applied by the two ropes shown in the
diagram. The dotted line bisects the angle between the forces. Each force has a
magnitude of 4000 N and each is directed at an angle of 30o to the horizontal. Use
the Parallelogram Law to calculate:

(a) The force required by a single rope that would produce the same overall effect as
the two forces below.
(b) The direction in which this single force should act.

Two ropes each

Van pulling with a
force of 4,000 N.

©Heriot-Watt University B47AC V4 April 2016

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4. This is a pure Trigonometry question. The diagram shows sodium and chlorine
atoms in a cubic crystalline lattice. Each edge of the cube is 2.8 x 10-10 m in length.
(a) Determine the diagonal distance from one bottom corner of the cube to the far
top corner of the cube – see below.
(b) Determine the angle θ that this diagonal makes with the base of the cube.

5. Alex and Jane meet at a street corner and have a little chat. They then go their
separate ways. Alex walks due East along a level street, while Jane goes due North
up a steep hill.

When Alex has reached his next street corner, 200m from the first, Jane has also
reached her next street corner, which is up the hill (Jane’s corner is 150m as
measured along the street and 30 m vertically higher than the original street corner).

Given the above calculate the total displacement between Alex and Jane.

©Heriot-Watt University B47AC V4 April 2016

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6. A semi-submersible rig is being manoeuvred by three tug boats and is moving at a

constant velocity. Tugs A and B exert a pull of 30 kN each as shown in the diagram.
Tug C is at the stern of the rig and acts in opposition to the pull from A and B.
Calculate the magnitude of the force exerted by C.

C Semi-sub
20o
B

7. Consider the following “three force problems”. Three forces act on a single point.
Determine whether the forces are in equilibrium or not:

3N
90o
4N

127o 143o

5N

8. A car weighs 13,500 N is moving up an incline at constant velocity. The incline

makes an angle of 25o with the horizontal. Determine the reaction force (frxn) acting
on the car.

©Heriot-Watt University B47AC V4 April 2016

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9. A wire is stretched between the tops of two identical buildings. When a tightrope
walker is at the centre of the wire, the tension in the wire is 2500 N. Each section of
the tight rope makes an angle of 6o with respect to the horizontal. Determine the
weight (in N) of the walker.

2o

“X” N

10. Two forces act on a body. They act at right angles to one another. One of the forces
has a magnitude of 200 N. The resultant force is of magnitude 300 N:

(a) Determine the magnitude of the other force.

(b) Calculate the angle between the resultant and the 200 N force.

11. An aircraft has a steady speed of 150 km hr-1 and is travelling due North. A strong
wind blows from the North-West with a speed of 60 km hr-1. What is the velocity
(magnitude and direction) of the aircraft with respect to the ground?

12. [This question will require more work and insight] Three ropes are tied together at a
single point. Their tensions are 50N, 100 N and 125 N. If the system does not move
calculate all the angles between the ropes.

©Heriot-Watt University B47AC V4 April 2016