CHAPTER 1

PHYSICAL QUANTITES AND UNITS

1.4 Scalar and Vector

Scalar quantity quantity which has magnitude only

Vector quantity quantity which have both magnitude and direction

Examples of scalar & vector quantities
Quantity Classification

mass scalar
speed scalar
temperature scalar
kinetic energy scalar
volume scalar
density scalar
pressure scalar
weight vector
velocity vector
acceleration vector
force vector
moment vector
Vector
• One way to represent a vector is by an arrow and the length of the
vector drawn to scale, as the magnitude
 Vector Addition
 the addition of two vectors A and B
 will result in a third vector R called resultant

A B R
+ =

Vector Subtraction (Addition of Vectors in Opposite Direction

 this can be considered as the addition of a negative vector or a vector
subtraction
-A B R
+ =
 two forces F1 and F2 are acting on an object as shown in figure

F2

F1

 we can add these vectors by using methods given:

(i) parallelogram of forces (ii) triangle of forces

F2 R
R

F1 F2
F1
Head-to-tail Method
A step-by-step method for applying the head-to-tail method to determine the sum
of two or more vectors is given below.

1. Choose a scale
2. Start a starting location
3. Start draw the first vector

tail head
4. Continue second vector from where the head of the 1st vector
5. Draw resultant from the tail of the 1st vector to the head of last vector.
m
20

5 m
1
25
m
Example 1
Add the following vectors and determine the resultant.

3.0 m/s, 450 and 5.0 m/s, 1350

3.0 m/s, 450 + 5.0 m/s, 1350= 5.83 m/s, 1040

(Note: the resultant is drawn in red.)
Example 2

Add the following vectors and determine the resultant.

7.0 m/s, 0 0and 2.0 m/s, 900

7.0 m/s, 0 0+ 2.0 m/s, 900= 7.28 m/s, 15.90

(Note: the resultant is drawn in red.)
Components of Vectors y

 two ways to specify vector

R
(i) Its is either given by Ɵ
• a magnitude R x
• a direction Ɵ

(ii) Or it is given in the x and y component as

• Rx y
• Ry Rx

R
Ry
Ɵ
x
 Rx = R cos Ɵ
 Ry = R sin Ɵ
 The magnitude of R is found by using the Pythagorean Theorem :

R R x
2
 Ry
2

 The direction of R is given by :

Ry
tan  
Rx
1
Ry
  tan
Rx
 Example 3:

Walking around the shopping mall, you go 120m East, 200m North,
80m West and 40m South. Calculate :
a) total distance you walked.
b) your final displacement relative to the starting point.

Answer :
(a) 440m
(b) 165 m, 76o from x-axis
Example 4

A bullet travels at a constant speed of 400ms-1 at an angle of 600 to

the horizontal. How far will the bullet have travelled horizontally and
vertically after 5s?
Answer :
1000m, 1732m.

Example 5

Three coplanar forces act at a point 0, as shown in figure:

(i) resolve these forces along the x-axis and y-axis
(ii) determine the resultant of the system of forces.
y
B= 5N A= 10N
45 0

300
x

300

C= 8N
Vector components for an object on an incline

Expressed mathematically:

• Component of weight parallel to incline = W sin = mg sin 

• Component of weight perpendicular to incline = W cos  = mg cos 

Example 6

A 10 kg box slides down a frictionless incline. The incline is at 30° to the

horizontal. Find the component of the weight acting parallel to the incline.

Answer :

The component of weight parallel to incline

= W sin  = mg sin 
= 10 x 9.81x sin 30
= 49N
END OF CLASS

1. Distinguish between scalar and vector quantities

2. Add and subtract vectors

3. Parallelogram method & triangle method

4. Drawing vector : Head- to- tail method

5. Calculation vector