CHAPTER 2:

VECTOR
Outline:
1. Vectors and Scalars

2. Some properties of Vectors

3.Addition of Vectors: Graphical methods and

Analytical methods

4. Unit Vectors

5. Multiplying Vectors

6. Application of vectors: Resultant

velocity, static equilibrium under concurrent
forces
Vectors and Scalars

• Physical quantities could be categorized to:

i. Scalar
ii. Vector
• Scalars – quantities with magnitude or size only
for example length, volume, mass, speed etc
- mass of a box of apples is 20 kg
- the fuel tank has a volume of 40 cm3
20 kg, 40 cm3 are the magnitudes of the quantities mass
and volume respectively

Magnitudes of the scalars can be easily added

or subtracted

For example, two boxes of apples will be 20 kg

+ 20 kg
= 40 kg
• Vectors – quantities with magnitude and
directions
Examples, velocity, force, momentum etc
 The plane is flying with a velocity of
20 km.hr-1 North-East
 The force acting on the body is 200 N to
the left
• Vector are usually written with their magnitude
and directions
• In the above example the words in italics are
the directions
Some properties of Vectors

• Symbols are used to represent physical quantities

For example, mass represented by m, distance by
x, volume by V etc
To differentiate scalars from vectors, slightly
different
symbols used
• Examples of quantities and symbols used,
• Vectors would be written as below:
– Velocity, v = 120 ms-1, East
– Force, F = 100 N,30°
- Acceleration, a = 20 ms-2, bearing 120°
– Force, F = 50 N, 20° NW
• Vector representation – represented on paper with an arrowed
straight line
• Magnitude represented by the length of the line (scaled)
• Direction represented by the angle and arrow
• Example: F = 100 N, East,
v = 20 ms-1, 30°

F = 100
N

v = 20 ms-1

30 0
• Scalar multiplication – if v is a vector and k is a
scalar, then when k is multiplied with v, a new vector,
kv,is formed where this new vector has the same
direction as v but a magnitude that is k times the initial
value.
• Example: suppose k = 3 and v = 3 ms-1, North-east
• Then the multiplication of k and v produces a new
vector say w = 3v
• Where w = 9 ms-1, North-east

w
v
• Equality of vectors – two vectors A and B are said
to
be equal if
i. magnitude of A = magnitude of B
A B
A = B
ii. A and B are parallel or in the same direction.

A B A B A B

A B A B
A=
Different directions Different magnitudes
B
Addition of Vectors: Graphical methods
and Analytical methods

• Addition of vectors – when two or more vectors

are added they will produce a new vector, for
example
• C=A+B
• C is called the resultant vector
• All vectors involved in the addition must be of the
same unit, that is, one cannot add velocity vector to a
force vector.
• Cannot add magnitudes of vectors arithmetically unless
they are in the same direction
• Commutative law of addition: A + B = B + A
• Methods of addition (considering only two vectors)
 geometric method
 analytical method
• Geometrical method:
i. tail to tip ii. Parallelogram method
(triangle) method

• Tail to tip method: draw first vector, then draw the

second vector with its tail starting from the tip of first
vector, the resultant vector will be from tail of first
vector to the tip of the second vector.

C
A B

C=A+
B
• Parallelogram method: the two vectors are joined at
the tails, the resultant is the diagonal of a
parallelogram formed with the two vectors.

B
A

A C

B
C=A+
B
Vector Addition by two different methods, (a) and (b). Part (c) is
incorrect.
Fig. 3.9,
Fig. 3.8,
Fig. 3.10,
• Analytical method: uses law of cosine and sine for
a triangle.
• Suppose A + B = C
• Hence the magnitude of C can be calculated,

C 

 B

A
C 2  A 2  B2  2 AB cos 
and
B C A
 
sin  sin sin
 
• Negative of vector: defined as the vector when
added to A gives zero
• A + (-A) = 0, same magnitude, different direction
• Subtraction of vectors: vector R produced when
vector
Q is subtracted from P, that is, R = P – Q
• Can be written as R = P + (-Q)
• P – Q can be read as P relative to Q or vector P as
seen from Q

P
Q
Fig. 3.11,
• Component of vectors: Vectors can be described by
its components
• Consider horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components
• A vector A can be written as A = Ax + Ay

A A y – vertical
component or y-
component

Ax- horizontal component

or x - component
Fig. 3.14,
Fig. 3.15,
• The magnitude of the horizontal and vertical component
can be obtained using Law of right-angled triangle.

F
Fy= F sin θ
θ
Fx= F cos θ

• Hence vector F can be written as F  F cos,   F sin ,

- where the arrows indicate the direction of the component
vector
Exercise 1
A mail carrier leaves the post office and drive
22 km in a northerly direction. She then drives
in a direction 60o south of east for 47 km. What
is her displacement from the post office?
Exercise 2
Determine the resultant vector and its
direction. Given that F1 = 10 N, F2 = 5 N, 1 = 25o
and 2 = 30o
y

F1

1
x
𝜃2

F2
Exercise 3
Given that F1 = 3 N, F2 = 7 N, 1 = 15o and 2 = 40o,
determine the resultant vector and its direction.

y
F1

𝜃2

Fresultant = 6.344 N, = 14.63o

F2
Exercise 4
Given that F1 = 3 N, F2 = 6 N, F3 = 5 N1 = 0o 2 = 15o and
= 45o, determine the resultant vector and its
direction.
y
F3

F1 x

𝜃2
Fresultant = 3.077 N, = 47.25o
F2
2.4 Unit vector of a vector:
• Written as v or
• Defined Unit vectorof a vector  vector
as magnitude of vector

𝒗
v =
𝒗
• Example: given a vector v = 10 ms-1,
East
10 ms -1
, East
• Therefore, unit vector, vˆ 10
=1

• A unit vector is a vector with magnitude equal to 1

• Writing vectors in the i , j , k form
• Let i be the unit vector in the x direction, j be the unit
vector in the y direction, and k be the unit vector in the
z direction.

1
j
i
k 1
1 x

z
Fig. 3.16a,
• A vector can be written in the unit vector notation, for
example:
• Suppose A is a velocity vector = 20 ms-1, in the x-
direction
• Hence A can be written as A = 20 i ms-1
• Let B be force vector, B = 40 N, 30° from the
horizontal.
• How do you write B in terms of i and j
• The vector B = 40 N, 30° from the horizontal can
be
written in i and j form.
• Calculate the x-component and y-component of B
• x-component = 40 cos 30° = 34.64 N
• y-component = 40 sin 30o = 20 N
• Hence B = (34.64 i + 20 j ) N

B
20 j

30o
34.64 i
• Figure 1 : A = 5 i + 6 j + 5
k
y

5k
6j
A
5i
5 x

z
• Addition of vectors using unit vectors
• Suppose given three vectors,
• P = 60 N, 60° from horizontal : Q = 40 N, N 40° W
:
and R = 20 N, W 20° S
• Find S = P + Q + R
• P, Q and R can be written in i, j, k
• P = 60 cos 60o i + 60 sin 60o j = 30 i + 51.96 j
• Q = - 40 sin 40o i + 40 cos 40o j = - 25.71 i + 30.64 j
• R = - 20 cos 20o i - 20 sin 20o j = - 18.79 i – 6.84 j

P
40o 20o
Q R
60o
• P = 30 i + 51.96 j
• Q = - 25.71 i + 30.64 j
• R = - 18.79 i – 6.84 j
• Hence S = (30 i + 51.96 j) + (-25.71 i +30.64 j) +
(-18.79 i - 6.84 j)
• S = (30–25.71–18.79) i + (51.96+30.64–6.84) j
S = -14.5 i + 75.76 j

- 25.71 i
- 18.79 i
P
51.96 j Q 30.64 j - 6.84 j
R

30 i
• S = -14.5 i + 75.76 j

- 25.71
- 18.79
i
- 6.84 i
R
j 30.64
Q j

75.76 j S
P
51.96
j

30
- 14.5 i
i
 2.5 Multiplication of vectors:

• Two kinds of vector multiplication: dot and cross product

• Dot Product:
• The dot product, P.Q = PQ cos θ where θ = angle
between the two vectors
• Given two vectors P = 60 N, N 60° E
= 60 cos 30o i

+ 60 sin 30o j
= 51.96 i + 30 j
• And Q = 5 m, N 20o E
= 5 cos 70o i + 5 sin 70o j Q
= 1.71 i + 4.70 j
70°
30°
P
• P = 60 N, N 60o E
= 51.96 i + 30 j
• Q = 5 m, N 20° E
= 1.71 i + 4.70 j
• Hence P.Q = 60 N(5 m).cos 40o = 229.81 Nm or
• P.Q = (51.96 i + 30 j).(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
= (51.96)(1.71)i.i + (51.96)(4.7)i.j + (30)(1.71)j.i +
(30)(4.7)j.j

P
Q
40o
• Dot product of the unit vectors:
• i.i = 1.1 cos 0° = 1
• j.j = 1.1 cos 0° = 1
• k.k = 1.1 cos 0° = 1 but
• i.j = j.i = 1.1 cos 90° = 0
• j.k = k.j = 1.1 cos 90° = 0
• k.i = i.k = 1.1 cos 90° = 0

i.i
j.j k.k

k.i
j.k
i.j
• P.Q = 60 N(5 m) cos 40o = 229.81 Nm
or
• P.Q = (51.96 i + 30 j).(1.71 i + 4.70
• j) = (51.96)(1.71)i.i + (51.96)(4.7)i.j
+ (30)(1.71)j.i +(30)(4.7)j.j
• = 88.85(1) + 244.21(0) + 51.3(0)
+
141(1)
= 229.85 Nm
• Result of a dot product is a scalar.
• Also called as a scalar product.
• Cross product:
• Defined as P X Q = P.Q sin θ n , n =
unit vector
• Result of a cross product is a vector.
• Also called as a vector product.
• Hence PxQ = (51.96 i + 30 j)x(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
• (P.Q sin θ) is the magnitude of cross
product
= (51.96)(1.71)ixi +
(51.96)(4.7)ixj +
(30)(1.71)jxi +
(30)(4.7)jxj
• cross product of the unit vectors:
• ixi = 1.1sin 0o = 0
• jxj = 1.1sin 0o = 0
• kxk = 1.1sin 0o = 0 but
• ixj = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1k = k Direction of the unit
• jxi = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1(-k) = -k vector, n is
determine by using
• jxk = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1(i) = i the right hand grip
• kxj = 1.1 sin 90o n = -i thumb rule
• kxi = 1.1 sin 90o n = j
• ixk = 1.1 sin 90o n = -j

ixj jxk

kxi
• Hence PxQ = (51.96 i + 30 j)x(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
• = (51.96)(1.71)ixi + (51.96)(4.7)ixj +
(30)(1.71)jxi + (30)(4.7)jxj
• = 88.85(0) + 244.21(k) + 51.3(-k) + 141(0)
• = (192.91 k) Nm
• Resultant of cross product PxQ has magnitude 192.91
Nm
in the k direction.

• Examples of dot product : Work = F.s

• Examples of cross product : Torque = r x F
Exercise 5
Find the angle between the vectors and

Exercise 6
Find the cross product u x v if and
Exercise 7
Given vector A and B are in the x-y plane. The
magnitude of A is 70 N at 90O and B is 120 N at
210O counterclockwise. Calculate:

a) Draw the diagram of resultant vector A – B

b) Determine the vector C such that A – B + C = 0

a) 166.42 N, c) -103.9 i – 130 j

Exercise 8
Given vector A and B in terms of unit vector as A =
3i + 5j – 2k, B = -3j + 6k, determine

a) such that 2A + 7B + 4C = 0
b) Unit vector C

a) -3/2 i + 11/4 j -19/2 k

b) -0.15 i + 0.27 j – 0.95 k
Exercise 9
Find the dot product A B if A and B

Answer = 20

Exercise 10
Find the cross product P X Q if and Q

Answer = -14i -6j + 10k

END OF CHAPTER 2