Chapter 3: Two

Dimensional Motion and

Vectors
(Now the fun really starts)
 Opening Question
Iwant to go to the library. How do I
get there?

Things I need to know:

How far away is it?
In what direction(s) do I need to go?
 One dimensional motion vs two
dimensional motion
Onedimensional motion: Limited to
moving in one dimension (i.e. back
and forth or up and down)

Twodimensional motion: Able to

move in two dimensions (i.e. forward
then left then back)
 Scalars and Vectors
Scalar:
A physical quantity that has
magnitude but no direction
Examples:
Speed, Distance, Weight, Volume

Vector:
A physical quantity that has
both magnitude and direction
Examples:
Velocity, Displacement, Acceleration
 Vectors are represented by
symbols
When handwritten, use an arrow: A
When printed, will be in bold print
with an arrow: A
When dealing with just the
magnitude of a vector in print, an
italic letter will be used: A
 Properties of Vectors
Equality of Two
Vectors
Two vectors are equal
if they have the same
magnitude and the
same direction
Movement of vectors
in a diagram
Any vector can be
moved parallel to itself
without being affected
Vectors can be added graphically
When adding vectors make sure that
the units are the same

Resultantvector: A vector
representing the sum of two or more
vectors
 Continue drawing the
vectors tip-to-tail
The resultant is drawn from
the origin of to the end of
the last vector
Measure the length of
and its angle
Use the scale factor to
convert length to actual
magnitude
 When you have many
vectors, just keep
repeating the process
until all are included
The resultant is still
drawn from the origin
of the first vector to
the end of the last
vector
 Vectors obey the
Commutative Law of
Addition
The order in which the
vectors are added doesnt
affect the result
A B B A
 Adding Vectors Graphically
Draw situation using a reasonable
scale (i.e. 50 m = 1 cm)

Draw each vector head to tail using

the right scale

Usea ruler and protractor to find the

resultant vector
Example: in textbook
A student walks from his house to his
friends house (a) then from his friends
house to school (b). The resultant
displacement (c) can be found using a
ruler and protractor
 Properties of vectors
Vectors can be added in any order

To subtract a vector add its opposite

SIDES OF A TRIANGLE
 Coordinate Systems
To perform vector o
operations sin( )
algebraically we h
must use
trigonometry
a
cos( )
SOH CAH TOA h
o
Pythagorean
Theorem: tan( )
a
hyp a b
2 2 2
 Vectors have directions
North

West North of East East

South
 Examples #2
Whilefollowing directions on a
treasure map, a pirate walks 45.0 m
north then turns around and walks
7.5 m east. What single straight-line
displacement could the pirate have
taken to reach the treasure?
 Solving the problem
Use the Pythagorean
theorem
7.5 m east
R2 = (7.5 m)2 + (45m) 2

45 m R= 45.6 m
N Resultant=?

What are we missing??

 Find the direction
7.5 m east
Cant say its just
NE because we
45 m
dont know the
value of the angle

N Resultant=?

Find the angle

using trig
o
tan( )
a
 What is the angle?
(Make sure your calculator is in Deg
not Rad)
Use inverse tangent
o 1 7.5
tan tan 9.46
1

a 45
7.5 m east

Final Answer:

45 m
46.5 m at 9.46 East of N Resultant=46.5 m
North or 46.5 m at
80.54 North of East =9.46

=80.54