Chapter 2 Objectives

 To show how to add forces and resolve them

into components using the Parallelogram Law.
 To express force and position in Cartesian
vector form and determine the vector’s
magnitude and direction.
 To introduce the dot product in order to
determine the angle between two vectors or the
projection of one vector onto another.
 Lecture Outline

 Review
 Adding vectors
 Vector Resolution (new)
 Covers 2.2, 2.3
 Vectors

 Vectors have a magnitude and a direction

Nelson Mandela cable-stay bridge

 Vectors

Sense
= direction vector points
along line of action
x

Anatomy of a vector – a vector has magnitude and direction

Scalar Multiplication - Summary
Adding vectors head to tail

1. Place the tail of the second vector on the head of the first.

2.Join the tail of the first vector to the head of the second. The
resulting vector is the resultant.
 Parallelogram Law

1. Join the vectors tail to tail.

2. Draw lines parallel to each vector passing through the other vector's head
3. The sum of the two vectors is the diagonal of the parallelogram.
 Parallelogram Law

This give the same answer as head to tail addition

 Collinear vectors

 If two vectors have the same line of action, we say

they are collinear. Its easy to add them – we just
add their magnitudes.

Collinear addition of vectors

 Collinear vectors

 WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

 When adding collinear vectors be careful
about signs.

Adding collinear vectors head to tail

 Example - Collinear

A has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points

along the x-axis. |A|= 3.00 N

B has a magnitude of 4.00 N and points

against the x-axis. |B|= 4.00 N

R has a magnitude of 1.00 N and points

x against the x-axis. |B|= 1N
 Example – Head to tail
A has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points
along the x-axis. |A|= 3.00 N

30.0° B has a magnitude of 4.00 N and points

30.0° clockwise from the x-axis. |B|= 4.00 N

y
 Vector Resolution - Why?

 Example: How much force does a cable exert

vertically and horizontally?
 Vector resolution

 Vector resolution is the opposite of vector addition.

We take a vector and break it up into pieces. These
pieces are called components. Adding these
components together gives the original vector.
 We break up the vector into components (pieces)
along given lines of action using the parallelogram
law.
 Example: What two vectors lying along given lines add
to give R?
 Vector resolution
We would like to resolve the vector R
into components along given lines of action
a and b. What two vectors lying along the given
lines add to give R?
 Vector resolution
We would like to resolve the vector R 1. Draw lines parallel to the lines of action
into components along given lines of action passing through the head of the vector
a and b. What two vectors lying along the given
lines add to give R?
 Vector resolution
We would like to resolve the vector R
into components along given lines of action
a and b. What two vectors lying along the given
lines add to give R?
1. Draw lines parallel to the lines of action
passing through the head of the vector
2. Draw vectors from the tail of the original
vector to the intersection of the lines
Vector resolution is like the reverse of
vector addition using the parallelogram
law.
Vector resolution is performed with
respect to given axes.
 Vector resolution
We would like to resolve the vector R
into components along given lines of action
a and b. What two vectors lying along the given
lines add to give R?
1. Draw lines parallel to the lines of action
passing through the head of the vector
2. Draw vectors from the tail of the original
vector to the intersection of the lines

Vector resolution is like the reverse of

vector addition using the parallelogram
law.

Vector resolution is performed with

respect to given axes.

We can write the components of a vector along

a particular line of action with a subscript.

For the vector R, the component along a is Ra

and the component along b is Rb
 Examples

 We will now see some examples to see if you

understand some of these concepts
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points
along the x-axis.

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points along
the x-axis.

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis

Rx has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points along

y the x-axis.
Ry has a magnitude of 0.00 N.

R= Rx + Ry = Rx
x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.
30°

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis y

30°
x

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.
30°

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis y

Rx has a magnitude of ??? N and points along

the x-axis.
y

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.
30°

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis y

Rx has a magnitude of 2.60 N and points along

the x-axis.
y
Ry has a magnitude of ??? N and points along
the y-axis.

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.
30°

Resolve R into components along the

x-axis and y-axis y

Rx has a magnitude of 2.60 N and points along

the x-axis.
y
Ry has a magnitude of 1.50 N and points along
the y-axis.

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.
30°

Resolve R into components along the x-axis and

the line a. There is an angle of 30° between
the y-axis and the line a.
a

30°

30°
x

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.

Resolve R into components along the x-axis and

the line a. There is an angle of 30° between
the y-axis and the line a.
a

y
Rx has a magnitude of ??? N and points along
the x-axis.

x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.

Resolve R into components along the x-axis and

the line a. There is an angle of 30° between
the y-axis and the line a.
a

y
Rx has a magnitude of 3.46 N and points along
the x-axis. Ra has a magnitude of ??? N and
points 30° anti-clockwise from the y-axis.
x
 Vector resolution
R has a magnitude of 3.00 N and points 30.0°
anti-clockwise from the x-axis.

Resolve R into components along the x-axis and

the line a. There is an angle of 30° between
the y-axis and the line a.
a

y
Rx has a magnitude of 3.46 N and points along
the x-axis. Ra has a magnitude of 1.73 N and
points 30° anti-clockwise from the y-axis.
x
 Keywords

 Make sure that after this lecture you

understand the following words and concepts:
 scalar, magnitude
 vector
 Parallelogram Law
 line of action
 scalar multiplication
 vector addition, vector subtraction
 vector resolution, vector components
 Bonus Question

Question outside but related to course material.

 Scalars have 0 directions
 Vectors have 1 directions
 ?????? have ? directions
 Can you think of a way to generalise vectors to
objects with more than 1 direction?
 How would you draw such objects?
 Can you think of anything physical that it would
useful to represent by such objects?
 Next Lecture Next to Next
 Next time we will learn Learn to express vectors in
some techniques for Cartesian vector form
vector addition and apply Learn to use Cartesian
them vector form for vector
 Revise basic arithmetic. Will
trigonometry and concentrate on adding
geometry of forces.
parallelograms
Learn how to determine a
 Covers 2.3 vector’s magnitude and
direction from its
Cartesian vector form.
Covers 2.4