Tutorial 1 - QUESTIONS

1. Suppose that your hair grow at 1/32 inches per day. Calculate the rate of growth in nano-meters per
second, if 1 inch = 25.4 mm.

2. Use a simple sketch to show how two vectors are added graphically. Hence show that, for any
vectors A and B, A + B = B + A.

3. A ferry boat transports tourists among three islands. It sails from the first to the second island, 5 km
away, in a direction 37 north of east. It then sails from the second to the third island in a direction
60 west of north. It finally returns to the first island, sailing in a direction 30 east of south.
Calculate the shortest distance between the third and first islands.

4. Determine the vector A – B. Leave your result in Cartesian coordinates.

5. Let A = 2i + j, and B = i + 4j . Determine the vector C = A – B, in polar coordinates.

6. The angle between vector 𝑨 = 2.00𝒊̂ + 3.00𝑗̂ and vector 𝑩 is 45.0°. The scalar product of vectors 𝑨 and
𝑩 is 5.00. If the x component of vector 𝑩 is positive, what is vector 𝑩.

7. For the vectors shown in the figure, find the magnitude and direction of the vector product 𝑨 ×𝑪,
assuming that the quantities shown are accurate to two significant figures.

8. Three vectors A, B and C are given by

𝑨 = −4𝒊̂ − 3𝑗̂; 𝑩 = 2𝒊̂ + 5𝑗̂; 𝑪 = 𝐶𝑥 𝒊̂ + 𝐶𝑦 𝑗̂
Calculate:
a) Cx and Cy if C is in the same plane as both A and B, C is perpendicular to B and |C|=5.
̂ pointing in the same direction as B.
b) An expression (in terms of 𝒊̂ and 𝑗̂) for a unit vector 𝒃
c) Calculate the component of A along B.
d) Calculate the angle between A and B.

9. Consider the vectors

𝐴̅ = 3𝑖̂ − 2𝑗̂ − 5𝑘̂ and 𝐵̅ = 𝑖̂ + 4𝑗̂ − 4𝑘̂ .
Calculate the magnitude of the cross product of these two vectors.

10. A side walk is to be constructed around a swimming pool that measures (10.0 ± 0.1) m by
(17.0 ± 0.1) m. the sidewalk is to measure (1.00 ± 0.01) m wide and (9.0 ± 0.1) cm thick. Calculate
the volume and uncertainty of the volume of concrete needed.