PHYSICS132

PHYSICS FOR
ENGINEERS

SECONDSEMESTER
INTRODUCTION, SCALARS
AND VECTORS
Presentation By:
ENGR. MARJON T. NAVIDA
Goals
• Three fundamental quantities of physics: meters, kilograms, and
seconds

• To keep track of significant figures in calculation

• To understand vectors and scalars and how to add vectors

graphically

• To determine vector components and how to use them in

calculations

• To understand unit vectors and how to use them with components

to describe vectors

• To learn two ways of multiplying vectors

Standards and Units
• Length, time, and mass are three fundamental quantities of
physics.

• The International System (SI for Système International) is the

most widely used system of units.

• In SI units, length is measured in meters, time in seconds, and

mass in kilograms.

• Remember – Engineers sometimes (often?) use other units!

 Unit Prefixes
• Table 1.1 shows some larger and smaller units for the fundamental
quantities.
Uncertainty and Significant Figures
• The uncertainty of a measured quantity is
indicated by its number of significant figures.
• For multiplication and division, the answer
can have no more significant figures than the
smallest number of significant figures in the
factors.
• For addition and subtraction, the number of
significant figures is determined by the term
having the fewest digits to the right of the
decimal point.
• As this train mishap illustrates, even a small
percent error can have spectacular results!
Unit Consistency and Conversion

• An equation must be dimensionally consistent. Terms to be added or

equated must always have the same units. (Be sure you’re adding
“apples to apples.”)

• Always carry units through calculations.

• How many meters in a light year? (so you have to do conversion

first before calculating)
Vectors and Scalars
• A scalar quantity can be described by a single number.

• A vector quantity has both a magnitude and a direction in space, or…

• In this book, a vector quantity

→
is represented in boldface italic type
with an arrow over it: A.

→ →
• The magnitude of A is written as A or |A|.
Vectors and Scalars

SCALAR VS. VECTOR

Magnitude only Magnitude and Direction
Distance Displacement
Speed Velocity
Mass Force
Temperature Acceleration
Adding two Vectors Graphically
 Components of a Vector
• Adding vectors graphically provides limited accuracy. Vector
components provide a general method for adding vectors.
• Any vector can be represented by an x-component Ax and a y-
component Ay.
• Use trigonometry to find the components of a vector: Ax = Acos θ and
Ay = Asin θ, where θ is measured from the +x-axis toward the +y-axis
 Calculations using Components
• We can use the components of a vector to find its
magnitude and direction:
Ay
A = Ax2 + Ay2 and tan =
Ax

• We can use the components of a set of vectors to

find the components of their sum:

Rx = Ax + Bx + Cx + , Ry = Ay + By + C y +
 The Scalar Product
• The scalar product
(also called the “dot
product”) of two
vectors is

• Figures illustrate the

scalar product.
 Calculating a Scalar Product
• In terms of components,

• Example below shows how to calculate a scalar product in two ways.

The Vector Product
• The vector
product (“cross
product”) of
two vectors has
magnitude

and the right-

hand rule gives
its direction.
See Figures.
Calculating the Vector Product
• Use ABsin to find the
magnitude and the right-hand
rule to find the direction.
Example
Significant Figures:
4.231 + 3.51? 500 + 1.365?
4.231 500
+ 3.51 Round off + 1.365 Round off

7.741 7.74 501.365 500

6.357 - 2.47? 301 – 47.465?

6.357 301
- 2.47 Round off - 47.465 Round off

3.887 3.89 253.535 254

Example
Significant Figures:
8.4 x 5? 279 x 83?
8.4 279
x 5 Round off x 83 Round off

42 40 23157 23000

32.6 ÷ 2.8? 464.6895 ÷ 12.145?

32.6 464.6895
Round off
÷ 2.8 Round off ÷ 12.145
11.64286 12 38.26179498 38.262
Example
1. A car travels 100 miles north in 2 hours and then 40 miles
south in 1 hour. Calculate the (a) total distance travelled (b)
displacement (c) average speed and (d) average velocity.
Solution: 40 miles
1 hour
100 miles
2 hours
Example
Answers:
Distance = total distance covered = 140 miles
Displacement = 100 miles – 40 miles = 60 miles North
𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 140 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠
Speed = = = 46.7 miles per hour
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 3 ℎ𝑟𝑠.

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 60 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑠
Velocity = = = 𝟐𝟎 miles per hour North
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 3 ℎ𝑟𝑠.
Example
2. A force vector has a magnitude of 100N directed at an angle
of 30 degrees above the x-axis. Calculate the magnitude of
the x and y components of this force vectors.
Solution:
F Fy=Fsinɵ
Fy Fx=Fcosɵ
ɵ
Fx
Example
Solution:

F=100 N Fx=Fcosɵ = 100N cos 30O

Fy Fx = 86.6N
30O
Fy=Fsinɵ = 100N sin 30O
Fx
Fy=50N
Example
Solution: z

k
F= 86.6i + 50 j
i y
j
x
Example
3. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the resultant
vector that is formed when taking the sum of two vectors
shown below:

F1 = 200N
F2 = 300N
45O 30O
Example
Solution:

F1x = F1 cosɵ

F1 = 200N F1x = 200N cos30O

F2 = 300N
F1y F1x = 173.2N
45O 30O
F1y = F1 sinɵ
F1x
F1y = 200N sin30O
F1 = 173.2i + 100j F1y = 100N
Example
Solution:

F2x = F2 cosɵ

F1 = 200N F2x = 300N cos135O

F2 = 300N
F2x = -212.1N
45O 30O
F2y = F2 sinɵ
F2y = 300N sin135O
F2 = -212.1i + 212.1j F2y = 212.1N
Example
Solution:
312.1 FR
FR = F1 + F2
FR = [173.2 +(-212.1)] i + [100+212.1] j
FR = -38.9i + 312.1 j
𝜃R
-38.9
FR = (−38.9)2 +(312.1)2

FR = 314.5 𝑁
Example
Solution:
312.1 FR
312.1
𝜃R =𝑡𝑎𝑛−1
−38.9

312.1
𝜃R =𝑡𝑎𝑛−1
−38.9
𝜃R
𝜃R =82.9𝑂
𝑂 𝑂 -38.9
𝜃R =180 − 82.9
𝜃R =97.1𝑂