CEBU INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

Department of Engineering Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry
PHYS182 PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS - LABORATORY

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Family Name First Name Middle Initial Date Submitted

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Course & Year Section Group Instructor

Experiment No. 1
FINDING THE RESULTANT VECTOR
Title of the Experiment

I. Objective
● To determine the sum (resultant) of vectors
II. Materials
● PhET Interactive Simulations (Vector Addition)
III. Procedure
Part I. Two Vectors
1. Went to https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/vector-addition/latest/vector-
addition_en.html
2. Clicked on Lab
3. The tick boxes of the Values, Angle, and grid in the top right corner were
checked to see more information on the plane.
4. By dragging a cyan-colored arrow and placing it on the plane with the tail at the
origin, a vector was represented. The magnitude, direction in degrees, and
components (x and y) of the vector were shown in a box above the plane.
5. The length of the arrow was set to 15 units and the direction to 90° by dragging
the head of the arrow.
6. Another arrow of the same color was dragged and its tail was placed on the head
of the first arrow. The second arrow must be 13 units at 0°.
7. The tail of the first arrow has been connected to the head of the second arrow by
dragging another arrow (orange), which serves as the resultant vector or the sum
of the two vectors. The head-to-tail method was used, and it was to be noted that
a right triangle was formed.

8. The magnitude of the resultant vector, which is the hypotenuse of the right
triangle, was solved by using the Pythagorean Theorem.
9. The direction of the resultant vector was solved by using trigonometric functions.
It was to be noted that the direction value shown is an angle in standard position,
where the vertex is located at the origin and the initial side is on the positive x-
axis. The moving ray of the angle is called the terminal side. The angle is
measured by the amount of rotation from the initial side to the terminal side. If the
angle is rotated counterclockwise, it is positive, and if clockwise, it is negative.

The components of the resultant vector can be displayed by clicking < on the
corresponding option. The angle 𝜃 can be obtained from the orange triangle,
where tan𝜃=𝑣𝑦𝑣𝑥. Therefore, 𝜃=𝑎𝑟𝑐𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑣𝑦𝑣𝑥.
Part II. Three Vectors
1. These arrows were dragged onto the plane:
a. 15.2 units at 23.2 degrees
b. 12.2 units at 145 degrees
c. 8.1 units at -150.3 degrees
2. The “head-to-tail” sketching of the three vectors was followed, ensuring
that the tail of the second vector was drawn from the tail of the previous
vector. The same procedure was applied for the third vector or until all
given vectors were drawn.
3. The tail of the first vector was connected to the head of the last vector
using the orange arrow, which represents the resultant vector. The
resultant vector is 9.5 units with an angle of 108.4 degrees.
4. The magnitude and direction of the resultant vector were identified using
the component method.

Part III:
a. Two Vectors
1. Two (2) arrows were dragged onto the plane with random (desired)
magnitude and direction, such that it will result in a resultant vector. The
magnitude and direction of each vector must be displayed on the plane, and
their corresponding values should be written on the table below.
2. The magnitude and direction of the resultant vector were computed using
Pythagorean Theorem. Complete and proper solutions were written, and the
final answers were rounded off to four decimal places and were
boxed/underlined/highlighted.
3. A screenshot of the sketch from the simulation was taken and pasted
below.
b. Four Vectors
1. Four (4) random arrows were chosen that when added would yield a
resultant vector located in the second quadrant. The resultant vector (orange
arrow) was required to be shown, and the magnitude and direction of each
vector (blue arrows) were to be displayed on the plane. The values were
written on the table provided.
2. The magnitude and direction of the resultant vector were computed using
Component Method. The solution was written completely and properly, with
the final answers boxed/underlined/highlighted. The answer was rounded off
to four decimal places.
3. A screenshot of the sketch from the simulation was taken and pasted
below.
IV. Tables, Graphs and Calculations
a. Two Vectors
b. Four Vectors
V. Discussion of Results
In this experiment, the PhET simulation lab on vector addition was utilized,
which enables the visualization of vectors, a quantity typically represented by an
arrow and has both magnitude and direction, and allows for the geometric
visualization of the vector sum by placing the second vector B with its tail at the head
of the first vector A and the resultant vector is then drawn from the tail of the first to
the head of the second to complete the triangle. This method of adding vectors is
called the head-to-tail method, written symbolically as A + B = C. It is also possible to
achieve the same result (C) by performing the same operation in reverse order, B +
A = C, if A, B, and C are vectors.
The first two parts of the procedure were mostly concerned with providing
instructions on how to use the simulation. In part III, a and b, the same steps as in
parts I and II were repeated but with the desired magnitude and direction. In the first
table shown above, there were only two vectors and a right triangle was formed. The
magnitude and direction of the two arrows were 11.0 units at 90.0° and 18.0 units at
0°, respectively. The Pythagorean Theorem, which states that the square of the
hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the triangle's two sides, can be
used to solve for the magnitude of the resultant vector, which is the hypotenuse of
the right triangle. Simply stated, A2+B2=C2. The direction, on the other hand, can be
solved by using trigonometric functions. tan0=Ay/Ax or 0=tan-1(Ay/Ax) However, the
formula for direction does not always give the angle in standard position, wherein the
vertex is located at the origin and the initial side lies on the positive x-axis. The
inverse tangent function returns values only from -90° to +90°. This means that the
formula only provides the angle in standard position when the resultant vector is
located in the first or fourth quadrant. In the case that the resultant vector lies in the
second or third quadrant, the formula provides an incorrect angle that is off by 180°.
Thus, it is necessary to add 180° to the calculated angle to obtain the angle in
standard position. The computed resultant vector had a magnitude of 21.0950 units
and direction at 31.4296°.
Another way of adding vectors is by Component Method, which involves
breaking down each vector into its horizontal (x-component) and vertical (y-
component) components. The x and y components of each vector are then added
separately to determine the x and y components of the resultant vector. In part IV,
the magnitude and direction of the four random arrows placed onto the plane that,
when added, will yield a resultant vector located in the second quadrant are as
follows: 11.4 units at 15.3°, 7.0 units at 90.0°, 10.0 units at 126.9°, and 11.2 units at -
153.4°, respectively. If 0 is the angle measured counterclockwise* from the +x
direction to the direction of A>, then Ax=Acos0 (x component of a vector) and
Ay=Asin0 (y component of a vector) where A is the magnitude of A>. The x and y
components of the vectors were calculated to be [11.0060, 0, -6.0042, -10.0145] with
a sum of -5.0127 and [3.0082, 7, 7.9968, -5.0149] with a sum of 12.9901,
respectively. Once the x and y component of the resultant vector are known, the
magnitude and direction of the resultant vector can be found using the Pythagorean
theorem and trigonometry, respectively. C2=-5.0127+12.9901 = 21.0950 units,
0=tan-1(12.9901/-5.0127) = -68.8991° Since the resultant vector lies in the second
quadrant, adding 180° to the computed direction will yield the angle in standard
position. Thus, the direction is 111.1009°.
 A slight variation from the PhET simulation was observed in the computed
results due to the fact that the answers in the simulation were displayed as whole
numbers or rounded off to only one decimal place, resulting in a minor difference in
comparison to the utilization of four decimal places as required in the experiment.

VI. Conclusion
In conclusion, the sum of the resultant vector can be determined through two
primary approaches. One approach is by the head-to-tail method, also known as the
triangle method, which involves placing the tail of the second vector at the head of
the first vector and then drawing the resultant vector from the tail of the first vector to
the head of the second vector. The sum of the two vectors is then represented by the
magnitude and direction of the resultant vector. The PhET simulation lab on vector
addition was utilized to visualize vectors and demonstrate the head-to-tail method of
adding vectors. Another approach is by Component Method, which involves breaking
down vectors into their horizontal and vertical components and adding them
separately. The magnitude and direction of the resultant vector can then be found
using the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometry, respectively. However, the
direction formula only provides the angle in standard position when the resultant
vector is located in the first or fourth quadrant. Certain adjustments must be made to
obtain the angle in standard position for vectors in the second and third quadrants.
Moreover, a statistically detectable difference in the decimal places between the
computed results and in PhET simulation was observed. Nonetheless, this difference
holds no significance in general. Overall, both methods are useful in different
situations. The head-to-tail method is useful when working with just a few vectors,
while the component method is useful when working with more complex systems
involving many vectors.

VII. References