Mad Institute / Academic year 2022- 2023

Department of Computer

Grade: 2nd stage

Subject : PHYSICS/ Chapter -1- / lecture (3)

Lecturer : Dashty A. Babakr

 Vector Addition and Subtraction: Analytical Methods
Pythagorean theorem

• Calculating a resultant vector, if the perpendicular components 𝐴𝑥 and 𝐴𝑦 of a

vector A are known as shown below, then we can find the direction and magnitude
of the resultant analytically by using the Pythagorean theorem, by definition,

tan 𝜃 = 𝑦 𝑥 (or in the following figure tan 𝜃 = 𝐴𝑦 𝐴𝑥 )

we solve for 𝜃 to find the direction of the resultant.
𝜃 = tan−1 (𝐴𝑦 𝐴𝑥 )
Since this is a right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem applies
(h2 = 𝑥 2 +𝑦 2 ) for finding the hypotenuse A (‫)بەرەنجام‬.
In this case, it becomes
A2 = 𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑥 2
Solving for A gives.
2
𝐴= 𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑥 2 The magnitude and direction of the
resultant vector , 𝐴𝑥 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐴𝑦 can be
determined.
Vector Addition and Subtraction: Analytical Methods
Pythagorean theorem

In summary, to find the magnitude and direction of a vector from its perpendicular
components 𝐴𝑥 and 𝐴𝑦 , as illustrated in previous figure, we use the following
relationships.
2
Resultant magnitude 𝐴 = 𝐴𝑥 2 + 𝐴𝑥 2
Resultant direction or angle 𝜃 = tan−1 (𝐴𝑦 𝐴𝑥 )
 Using the Analytical Method (Pythagorean) of Vector
Addition and Subtraction to Solve Physics Problems

1. Consider an example of force involving two ice skaters pushing each one with the
force of 400N a third ice skater as seen in below figure,.
 Find the magnitude and direction of the resultant force on the third skater.
by using the Pythagorean theorem
𝐹𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 =F1 2 +F2 2

F1 2 +F2 2
2
𝐹𝑡𝑜𝑡 =
2
𝐹𝑡𝑜𝑡 = 𝟒𝟎𝟎2 +4002
𝐹𝑡𝑜𝑡 =566𝑁
𝜃 = tan−1 (𝐹1 𝐹2 )
𝜃 = tan−1 (400 400)
𝜃 = tan−1 (1) = 45𝑜 .

Figure shows two ice skaters pushing on a

third, the forces acting on the third skater,
 Using the Analytical Method (Pythagorean)of Vector
Addition and Subtraction to Solve Physics Problems

2. Adding Velocities: A Boat on a River

A boat attempts to travel straight across a river at a velocity of 3.8 m/s. The river
current flows at a velocity vriver of 6.1 m/s to the right. What is the total velocity and
direction of the boat? You can represent each meter per second of velocity as one
centimeter of vector length in your drawing.
Strategy
We start by choosing a coordinate system with its x-axis parallel to the velocity of the
river. Because the boat is directed straight toward the other shore, its velocity is
perpendicular to the velocity of the river. We draw the two vectors, vboat and vriver ,
as shown in the following figure.
 Using the Analytical Method (Pythagorean)of Vector
Addition and Subtraction to Solve Physics Problems
• By using the Pythagorean theorem
The total Velocity is the resultant
velocity between the river and the
boat velocities, vriver = 6.1 m/s
Therefore its magnitude (𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 ) and
direction(𝜃) could be find by using the
Pythagorean theorem and
trigonometry rules.
R2 = X 2 +Y 2
𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 = 𝑣𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒𝑟 2 + 𝑣𝑏𝑜𝑎𝑡 2 sin 𝜃 𝑉𝑦
tan 𝜃 = =
cos 𝜃 𝑣𝑥
𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 = 6.12 + 3.82 tan 𝜃 = 3.8
6.1

𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 2 = 51.65 tan 𝜃 = 0.6229

This figure shows a boat attempts to
𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 =
2
51.65 𝜃 = tan−1 0.6229 travel across a river. What is the
total velocity and direction of the
𝑣𝑡𝑜𝑡 = 7.2 m/s. 𝜃=32o boat?
Analytical method; If the angle between the x and y
vectors is not 90o or not perpendicular
• Sometimes, the vectors added are not perfectly perpendicular to one another. An
example of this is the case below, where the vectors A and B are added to produce
the resultant R as illustrated in below figure.

 If A and B represent two different

displacements of a person (not perpendicular),
then R is the total displacement. The person
taking the walk ends up at the tip of R.
 The person could have walked straight ahead
first in the x-direction and then in the y-
direction.
 Those paths are the x- and y-components of
the resultant, Rx and Ry If we know Rx and
Ry , we can find R and 𝜃 using the equations Figure shows that A and B are two
vectors of a walk, and R is the resultant or
 R= 𝑅𝑥 2 + 𝑅𝑦 2 , total displacement. You can use analytical
methods to determine the magnitude and
direction of R.
 How to apply analytical method If the angle
between the x and y vectors is not 90o or not perpendicular
1. Draw in the x and y components of each vector
(including the resultant) with a dashed line. Use
the equations of trigonometry Ay = 𝑨 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜽
and Ax = 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽 to find the components. In
figure below these components are Ax , Ay , Bx
, and By .
• Vector A makes an angle of 𝜃𝐴 with the x-axis
and vector B makes and angle of 𝜃𝐵 with its
own x-axis (which is slightly above the x-axis
used by vector A).
2. Find the x component of the resultant by adding
the x component of the vectors
Rx = Ax +Bx From figure; To add vectors A and B first
• and find the y component of the resultant (as determine the horizontal and vertical
components of each vector. These are the
illustrated in following figure) by adding the y
dotted vectors Ax , Ay , Bx , and
component of the vectors
Ry = Ay +By By shown in the image.
How to apply analytical method If the angle between
the x and y vectors is not 90o or not perpendicular

• Now that we know the components

of R, we can find its magnitude and
direction.
3. To get the magnitude of the
resultant R, use the Pythagorean
theorem.

R= 𝑅𝑥 2 + 𝑅𝑦 2
4. To get the direction of the resultant

Figure; The vectors Ax and Bx add to give the

magnitude of the resultant vector in the
horizontal direction, Rx . Similarly, the
vectors Ay and By add to give the magnitude of
the resultant vector in the vertical direction, Ry .
 Worked Example on Using the Analytical Method for
Not Perpendicular Vectors

• An Accelerating Subway Train

• Add the vector A to the vector B shown in Figure below, using the steps
above. The x-axis is along the east–west direction, and the y-axis is along
the north–south directions. A person first walks 53.0 m in a direction 20o
north of east, represented by Vector A The person then walks 34.0 m in a
direction 63.0o north of east, represented by vector B
Solution
First, we find the components of A and B
along the x- and y-axes. From the problem,
we know that A= 53.0 m, 𝜽𝑨 = 20o , B= 34.0
m, and 𝜽𝑩 = 63.0o . We find the x-
components by using Ax = 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽, which
gives
Ax = 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽𝑨 = (53.0 m)(𝒄𝒐𝒔20o )=49.8 m.
And Figure; You can use analytical models to add
Bx = 𝑩𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽𝑩 = (34 m)(𝒄𝒐𝒔63o )= 15.4 m. vectors.
 Worked Example

• Similarly, the y-components are found using Ay = 𝑨 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜽A

Worked Example