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LESSON 1. VECTORS
Vector quantity – a quantity that is fully described by both magnitude and direction.
Example: force, acceleration, velocity, weight, displacement

Scalar quantity – quantity that is fully described by its magnitude alone.

Example: speed, distance, mass, temperature, amount of money

Resultant – the sum of all vectors acting on a body.

Equilibrant – the vector that would balance two or more unbalanced vectors. It is
equal in magnitude to the resultant but is oppositely directed.

Displacement – is a vector whose length is the shortest distance from the initial point
to the final position.

Position or position vector – is the location of a body with respect to a reference point.

Parallel vectors – vectors with the same direction

Anti-parallel vectors – vectors with opposite directions
Negative of a vector – vector that has the same magnitude as the original vector but is
oppositely directed.
Example: If A = 10N east and B = 10 N west, then A = -B

Vector representation:
Length of the line = magnitude
Direction of the arrow = direction of the vector

Methods of vector addition:

1. Graphical solution
- Head-to-tail method
2. Analytical solution
-Component Method
- Using cosine law and sine law

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Graphical Solution (Head-to-tail Method)

Connect the arrow-end of the 1st vector to the tail-end of the 2nd one. Next,
connect the arrow-end of the 2nd vector to the tail-end of the 3rd, and so on. The vector
connecting the tail-end of the 1st vector to the arrow-end of the last vector added
represents the resultant.

Example 1.1.
Krizzle walks 9 m west, and then 10 m north. What is her displacement?
Use scale 1 m = 0.5 cm
Solution:
Represent each displacement in the given scale:
D1 = 9m x 0.5cm/1m = 4.5 cm
This means that the displacement D1 = 9m will be represented by 4.5 cm.
D2 = 10 m x 0.5cm/1m = 5 cm
D2 will be represented by 5 cm.

Use the guide above for direction.

D1 is directed west and will be represented by 4.5cm. The arrow end of this
displacement will be connected to the tail-end of D2 which is being represented by 5
cm. Next, connect the tail-end of the first displacement and the arrow end of the last
vector added. This will represent the resultant displacement. The diagram will now
look like the one below. Lastly, measure the magnitude of the resultant displacement
and its direction using a ruler and a protractor.

R = 6.7 cm x 1m/ 0.5 cm = 13.4 m

at 48o north of west

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Example 1.2.
Vector A has magnitude 8 units and makes an angle of 45o with the positive x-
axis. Vector B has magnitude 8 units and is directed towards the negative x-direction.
Using graphical method, find a) 𝐴⃗ + 𝐵
⃗⃗ b) 𝐴⃗ − 𝐵
⃗⃗

Scale: 2 units = 1 cm
Solution:
Convert each vector to the given scale. Both vectors A and B are 8 units and
will be represented by 4 cm. The arrow end of vector A will be connected to the tail end
of vector B. Then connect the tail end of vector A to the arrow end of vector B. This is
the resultant vector. Lastly, measure the magnitude and direction of the resultant
vector using a ruler and a protractor.
a) A + B

R = 3.1 cm = 6.2 units at 68o

clockwise from the negative x-axis

b) A – B
This means that A will be added to -B which is in opposite direction to the
original vector B. If the original vector B is directed towards the negative x-direction,
then -B is directed towards the positive x-direction. The diagram will look like the one
below:

R = 7.4 cm = 14.8 units at 23o

counterclockwise from the positive x-axis.

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Example 1.3.
A girl delivering newspapers covers her route by traveling 3 blocks west, 4
blocks south, and the 6 blocks east. What is the resultant displacement? What is the
total distance covered?
Scale: 1 cm = 1 block
Solution:

R = 5 cm = 5 blocks at
53o south of east

Analytical Solution (Component Method):

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𝑅 = √(𝑅𝑥 )2 + (𝑅𝑦 )
𝑅𝑦
𝑇𝑎𝑛 𝜃 = |𝑅 | With reference to the x-axis
𝑥

Rx = Sum of horizontal components

Ry = Sum of vertical components
R = Resultant vector

Example 1.4.
Calculate the x and y components of the following:
a) F1 = 30 N east
b) F2 = 40 N, 25o N of E
Solution:
a) F1 = 30 N east F1x = 30 N
F1
F1y = 0

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b) F2 = 40 N, 25o N of E

By applying head-to-tail method, we can draw the force diagram like the one below:

Applying sine and cosine functions,

Sin 25o = F2y/F2
F2y = F2 sin 25o = 40 N sin 25o = 16.90N
F2x = F2 cos 25o = 40 cos 25o = 63.25 N

Example 1.5.
The magnitude of vector A is 25 units and points in the direction 325 o
counterclockwise from the +x-axis. Calculate the x and y components of this vector.

Solution:
Ax = A cos 325o = 25 units (cos 325o) = 20.47 units
Ay = A sin 325o = 25 units (sin 325o)= -14.34 units

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Alternate solution:
You can also find the x and y-components by considering the acute angle on the 4th
quadrant. Since the vector is on the 4th quadrant, the x-component is positive, and the
y-component is negative.
Ax = A cos 35o = 25 units cos 35o = 20.47 units
Ay = -A sin 35o = -25 units sin 35o = -14.34 units

Example 1.6.
Three displacement vectors are shown in the figure below. Where A = 20 units, B = 40
units, and C = 30 units. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the resultant
displacement.

Vector x-component y-component

A = 20 units 0 20 units
B = 40 units 40 cos 45o = 28.28 units 40 sin 45o = 28.28 units
C = 30 units 30 cos 45o = 21.21 units -30 sin 45o = - 21.21 units
Rx = 49.49 units Ry = 27.07 units

𝑅 = √(𝑅𝑥 )2 + (𝑅𝑦 )2

𝑅 = √(49.49)2 + (27.07)2 = 56.41 units

𝑅 27.07
𝑇𝑎𝑛 𝜃 = | 𝑦 | = | |
𝑅 𝑥 49.49

θ = 28.68o counterclockwise from the positive x-axis

Practice 1.1:
Vector A has a magnitude of 50N and is directed at 30o north of west. What are its x
and y components?

Practice 1.2.
A vector has an x-component of 25 units and a y-component of 40 units. What is the
magnitude of this vector?

Practice 1.3.
A ferry boat transports tourists between 3 islands. It sails from the 1st island to
the second 4.76 km away in the direction 37o north of east. It then sails from the
second to the 3rd island in a direction 69o west of north. Finally, it returns to the first

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island sailing in the direction 28o east of south. Calculate the distance between (a) the
2nd and 3rd islands (b) the 1st and the 3rd islands. Solve graphically and analytically.

Assignment 1. Vectors
1. Prob 1.32, page 29 (Ref.: University Physics by Young and Freedman 13th ed)
Vector A is in the direction 34 degrees 00clockwise from the negative y-axis. The x-
component of A is Ax = -16.0m. (a) What is the y-component of A? (b) What is the
magnitude of A?

2. Prob 1.66, page 30. (Ref.: University Physics by Young and Freedman 13th ed)
Three horizontal ropes pull on a large stone stuck in the ground, producing the
vector forces and shown in Fig. P1.66. Find the magnitude and direction of a fourth
force on the stone that will make the vector sum of the four forces zero.

M. E. Omiles Lesson 1 Vectors Physics for Engineers