SECTION  1 SECTION 1

 Plan and Prepare

Objectives
Distinguish between a scalar Introduction to
Vectors
and a vector.

Preview Vocabulary Add and subtract vectors by

using the graphical method.
Latin Word Origins The word vector Key Terms
comes from the Latin word for carrier Multiply and divide vectors
scalar vector resultant
by scalars.
or conveyor. In biology and medicine,
Scalars and Vectors
the term is used to describe organisms
In the chapter “Motion in One Dimension,” our discussion of motion was
such as mosquitoes, fleas, and ticks that limited to two directions, forward and backward. Mathematically, we
carry and spread disease. In physics, this described these directions of motion with a positive or negative sign. That
term is used to visually represent method works only for motion in a straight line. This chapter explains a
method of describing the motion of objects that do not travel along a
quantities that have secondary charac- straight line.
teristics, such as direction.
Vectors indicate direction; scalars do not.
Each of the physical quantities encountered in this book can be catego-
 Teach scalar a physical quantity that has
magnitude but no direction
rized as either a scalar quantity or a vector quantity. A scalar is a quantity
that has magnitude but no direction. Examples of scalar quantities are
vector a physical quantity that has speed, volume, and the number of pages in this textbook. A vector is a

Teaching Tip
both magnitude and direction physical quantity that has both direction and magnitude.
Displacement is an example of a vector quantity. An airline pilot
Carry a paper cutout of an arrow with planning a trip must know exactly how far and which way to fly. Velocity is
you to class and use it as a tool to also a vector quantity. If we wish to describe the velocity of a bird, we must
specify both its speed (say, 3.5 m/s) and the direction in which the bird is
demonstrate the direction of vectors. flying (say, northeast). Another example of a vector quantity is acceleration.

The Language of Vectors are represented by boldface symbols.

Physics In physics, quantities are often represented by symbols, such as t for time.
To help you keep track of which symbols represent vector quantities and
FIGURE 1.1
Establish a convention for distinguishing which are used to indicate scalar quantities, this book will use boldface
vectors from scalars for use in your Length of Vector Arrows type to indicate vector quantities. Scalar quantities will be in italics. For
The lengths of the vector arrows example, the speed of a bird is written as v = 3.5 m/s. But a velocity,
classroom. Using an arrow above the represent the magnitudes of these which includes a direction, is written as v = 3.5 m/s to the northeast.
variable is a good substitute for bold two soccer players’ velocities. When writing a vector on your paper, you can distinguish it from a scalar
type, which would be hard to reproduce by drawing an arrow above the abbreviation for a quantity, such as
→v = 3.5 m/s to the northeast.
on a chalkboard. Make sure to be
One way to keep track of vectors and their directions is to use dia-
consistent when using this convention.
grams. In diagrams, vectors are shown as arrows that point in the direc-
For instance, when you use an arrow tion of the vector. The length of a vector arrow in a diagram is propor-
above the symbol to designate a vector, tional to the vector’s magnitude. For example, in Figure 1.1 the arrows
be sure to signify the direction of the represent the velocities of the two soccer players running toward the
soccer ball.
vector as well as its magnitude and units.

TEACH FROM VISUALS Differentiated

80 Chapter 3
Instruction

FIGURE 1.1 Tell students that the arrows Inclusion different. Ask students to imagine other
Visual and kinesthetic learners will benefit from a situations where speed is the same but
in the figure represent velocity, that is, Untitled-306 80 5/6/2011 11:57:42 AM

demonstration of scalar versus vector quantities. direction is different. For example, two cars
they represent both speed and
Invite two students to walk across the classroom traveling the same stretch of highway in
direction.
at the same speed but in opposite directions. As different directions.
Ask Why do we consider velocity
instead of speed in order to decide a class, discuss the motion of the two students.
which player reaches the ball first? Is their speed the same? Yes. Is their motion the
same? No. How is it different? They were going
Answer: Direction is important because
in different directions.
a player may run very fast but not
toward the ball. The scalar quantity (speed) is the same for
these two students, but their vector is

80 Chapter 3
 A resultant vector represents the sum of two or more vectors. Did YOU Know?
When adding vectors, you must make certain that they have the same The word vector is also used by airline
units and describe similar quantities. For example, it would be meaning-
less to add a velocity vector to a displacement vector because they
pilots and navigators. In this context,
a vector is the particular path followed
Demonstration
describe different physical quantities. Similarly, it would be meaningless, or to be followed, given as a compass
as well as incorrect, to add two displacement vectors that are not ex- heading. Vector Addition
pressed in the same units. For example, you cannot add meters and feet Purpose Preview force as a vector
together. quantity to demonstrate vector
The chapter “Motion in One Dimension” covered vector addition and addition.
subtraction in one dimension. Think back to the example of the gecko
that ran up a tree from a 20 cm marker to an 80 cm marker. Then the Materials large, empty box
gecko reversed direction and ran back to the 50 cm marker. Because the
two parts of this displacement are each vectors, they can be added
Procedure Ask for a student volunteer.
together to give a total displacement of 30 cm. The answer found by Explain to the class that you will push
adding two vectors in this way is called the resultant. resultant a vector that represents the the box in one direction while the
sum of two or more vectors
student will push the box in a second,
Vectors can be added graphically. perpendicular direction at the same
Consider a student walking 1600 m to a friend’s house and then 1600 m to time. Ask students to predict the
school, as shown in Figure 1.2. The student’s total displacement during his
walk to school is in a direction from his house to the school, as shown by
motion of the box.
the dotted line. This direct path is the vector sum of the student’s displace- Have the student volunteer take a
ment from his house to his friend’s house and his displacement from the
friend’s house to school. How can this resultant displacement be found?
practice push alone and emphasize that
One way to find the magnitude and direction of the student’s total
the box moves in the direction of the
displacement is to draw the situation to scale on paper. Use a reasonable push. Take a practice push by yourself
scale, such as 50 m on land equals 1 cm on paper. First draw the vector on the box and again emphasize that the
representing the student’s displacement from his house to his friend’s
house, giving the proper direction and scaled magnitude. Then draw the
box moves in the direction of the push.
vector representing his walk to the school, starting with the tail at the Return the box to its original location.
head of the first vector. Again give its scaled magnitude and the right On the count of three, both you and
direction.
the student push the box in a direction
The magnitude of the resultant vector can FIGURE 1.2
then be determined by using a ruler. Measure
perpendicular to each other. Ask a
the length of the vector pointing from the tail Graphical Method of Vector Addition A student walks from student to explain why the box moved
his house to his friend’s house (a), then from his friend’s house to the
of the first vector to the head of the second along the diagonal. The box moved in a
vector. The length of that vector can then be school (b). The student’s resultant displacement (c) can be found by
using a ruler and a protractor. direction between the directions of the
multiplied by 50 (or whatever scale you have
chosen) to get the actual magnitude of the two pushes.
student’s total displacement in meters.
The direction of the resultant vector may be
determined by using a protractor to measure (b)
the angle between the resultant and the first
vector or between the resultant and any (c)
chosen reference line.
(a)

Problem Solving Two-Dimensional Motion and Vectors 81

Reality Check box look like? Show a stick figure pushing the
Untitled-306 81
Drawing a picture, as in Figure 1.2, is a good box from another side, with an arrow 5/6/2011
in the11:57:43 AM
way for students to confirm that they under- direction of that push. Finally, what do the
stand the meaning of the vectors in a given vectors look like when you add them together
situation. For example, after completing the –that is, when both people are pushing on the
demonstration, invite a student to draw each box at the same time? Drawing should show
situation on the board, along with its vector. two stick figures pushing at the same time
from perpendicular directions, with one arrow
What should one student pushing alone
showing the resultant vector—which is the
look like? Student should draw a stick figure
actual motion of the box.
pushing a box and an arrow in the direction of
the push. What does the teacher pushing the

Two-Dimensional Motion and Vectors 81

 Properties of Vectors

 Teach continued
Now consider a case in which two or more vectors act at the same point.
When this occurs, it is possible to find a resultant vector that has the same
net effect as the combination of the individual vectors. Imagine looking
down from the second level of an airport at a toy car moving at 0.80 m/s
Misconception Alert! across a walkway that moves at 1.5 m/s. How can you determine what the
car’s resultant velocity will look like from your view point?
Students may have difficulty visualizing
the movement of the toy car on the
FIGURE 1.3 Vectors can be moved parallel to themselves in a diagram.
walkway. Illustrate the situation on the
Note that the car’s resultant velocity while moving from one side of the
board, and emphasize that the motion Triangle Method of Addition
The resultant velocity (a) of a toy
walkway to the other will be the combination of two independent motions.
represented in Figure 1.3 is drawn as car moving at a velocity of 0.80 m/s Thus, the moving car can be thought of as traveling first at 0.80 m/s across
viewed by a stationary observer above (b) across a moving walkway with a the walkway and then at 1.5 m/s down the walkway. In this way, we can
velocity of 1.5 m/s (c) can be found draw a given vector anywhere in the diagram as long as the vector is parallel
the walkway. Frame of reference will be to its previous alignment (so that it still points in the same direction).
using a ruler and a protractor.
covered later in the chapter. Thus, you can draw one vector with its tail starting at the tip of the
vwalkway = 1.5 m/s
other as long as the size and direction of each vector do not change. This
(c) process is illustrated in Figure 1.3. Although both vectors act on the car at

The Language of the same point, the horizontal vector has been moved up so that its tail
vcar = 0.80 m/s

(a) begins at the tip of the vertical vector. The resultant vector can then be
(b)
Physics vresultant
drawn from the tail of the first vector to the tip of the last vector. This
method is known as the triangle (or polygon) method of addition.
The triangle method of vector addition Again, the magnitude of the resultant vector can be measured using a
Car
is also called the polygon method, the ruler, and the angle can be measured with a protractor. In the next section,
we will develop a technique for adding vectors that is less time-consuming
head-to-tail method, or the tip-to-tail
because it involves a calculator instead of a ruler and protractor.
method.
FIGURE 1.4 Vectors can be added in any order.
When two or more vectors are added, the sum is
TEACH FROM VISUALS Commutative Property of Vectors A marathon runner’s
displacement, d, will be the same regardless of whether the runner takes
independent of the order of the addition. This
path (a) or (b) because the vectors can be added in any order. idea is demonstrated by a runner practicing for a
FIGURE 1.4 Reinforce your students’ marathon along city streets, as represented in
understanding of the difference Figure 1.4. The runner executes the same four
displacements in each case, but the order is
between distance and displacement by d d
different. Regardless of which path the runner
pointing out that if the runner starts takes, the runner will have the same total
and ends at the positions shown in displacement, expressed as d. Similarly, the
vector sum of two or more vectors is the same
Figure 1.4, the runner’s displacement will regardless of the order in which the vectors are
be the same regardless of the path the (a) (b)
added, provided that the magnitude and direc-
runner chooses to follow. tion of each vector remain the same.

Ask How can the runner increase

To subtract a vector, add its opposite.
distance but begin and end at the same
Vector subtraction makes use of the definition of the negative of a vector.
points? The negative of a vector is defined as a vector with the same magnitude as
Answer: The runner can take a different, the original vector but opposite in direction. For instance, the negative of
the velocity of a car traveling 30 m/s to the west is −30 m/s to the west,
longer path but will have to double back
somewhere along the path to end up at
Problem
82
Solving
Chapter 3
the same point.
Reality Check A. A paper airplane moves at a constant
Students will better understand the
Untitled-306 82 velocity of 10 m/s. What is its resultant 5/6/2011 11:57:44 AM

commutative property of vector addition if velocity if it moves with a parallel wind

they work several examples on paper with a gust of 19 m/s?
ruler and protractor. Provide students with the B. A stunt man tries to run backward on a
following examples and encourage them to treadmill. The stuntman’s constant
illustrate each situation before drawing the velocity is 8 m/s and the treadmill is
vectors. The actual answer is not important at moving at a velocity of 9 m/s. What is
this point. Instead, emphasize that students the resultant velocity?
should be able to set up each problem and
draw the vectors.

82 Chapter 3
 or +30 m/s to the east. Thus, adding a vector to its negative vector gives
zero. When subtracting vectors in two dimensions, first draw the negative
of the vector to be subtracted. Then add that negative vector to the other Teaching Tip
vector by using the triangle method of addition.
Some students may need further
explanation and visual examples of the
Multiplying or dividing vectors by scalars results in vectors.
negative of a vector. Give several
There are mathematical operations in which vectors can multiply other
vectors, but they are not needed in this book. This book does, however, examples of vectors in different
make use of vectors multiplied by scalars, with a vector as the result. For directions and then show their negative
example, if a cab driver obeys a customer who tells him to go twice as fast,
vectors.
that cab’s original velocity vector, vcab, is multiplied by the scalar num-
ber 2. The result, written 2vcab, is a vector with a magnitude twice that of
the original vector and pointing in the same direction.
On the other hand, if another cab driver is told to go twice as fast in
the opposite direction, this is the same as multiplying by the scalar
Assess and Reteach 
number −2. The result is a vector with a magnitude two times the initial
velocity but pointing in the opposite direction, written as −2vcab. Assess Use the Formative Assessment
on this page to evaluate student
mastery of the section.
SECTION 1 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Reteach For students who need
additional instruction, download the
Reviewing Main Ideas Section Study Guide.
1. Which of the following quantities are scalars, and which are vectors?
a. the acceleration of a plane as it takes off
Response to Intervention To reassess
b. the number of passengers on the plane students’ mastery, use the Section Quiz,
c. the duration of the flight available to print or to take directly
d. the displacement of the flight online at HMDScience.com.
e. the amount of fuel required for the flight
2. A roller coaster moves 85 m horizontally, then travels 45 m at an angle
of 30.0° above the horizontal. What is its displacement from its starting
point? Use graphical techniques.
3. A novice pilot sets a plane’s controls, thinking the plane will fly at
2.50 × 102 km/h to the north. If the wind blows at 75 km/h toward
the southeast, what is the plane’s resultant velocity? Use graphical
techniques.
4. While flying over the Grand Canyon, the pilot slows the plane down to
one-half the velocity in item 3. If the wind’s velocity is still 75 km/h
toward the southeast, what will the plane’s new resultant velocity be?
Use graphical techniques.

Critical Thinking
5. The water used in many fountains is recycled. For instance, a single water
particle in a fountain travels through an 85 m system and then returns
to the same point. What is the displacement of this water particle during
one cycle?

Answers to Section Assessment Two-Dimensional Motion and Vectors 83

1. a. vector
ntitled-306 83 b. scalar 5/6/2011 11:57:44 AM

c. scalar
d. vector
e. scalar
2. 126 m at (1.0 × 101)° above the horizontal
3. 204 km/h at 75° north of east
4. 89 km/h at 54° north of east
5. zero

Two-Dimensional Motion and Vectors 83