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8-1 Study Guide and Intervention

Introduction to Vectors

Guided Practice:
1. State whether a tow truck pulling a car due east with a force of 100 newtons is a vector quantity or a scalar
quantity.

2. State whether a tennis ball served at 110 miles per hour is a vector quantity or a scalar quantity.

3. State whether a sprinter running 100 meters north is a vector quantity or a scalar quantity.

Guided Practice:

1. Use a ruler and a protractor to draw an

arrow diagram for z = 25 meters per
second at 40° to the horizontal. Include
a scale on the diagram.

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Guided Practice:

2. Use a ruler and a protractor to draw an

arrow diagram for r = 30 meters at a bearing
of N45°W. Include a scale on the diagram.

Guided Practice:

3. Use a ruler and protractor to draw an

arrow diagram for n = 20 feet per second at
a bearing of 080°. Include a scale on the
diagram.

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Find the resultant of each pair of vectors using either the triangle or parallelogram method. State the magnitude of
the resultant in centimeters and its direction relative to the horizontal.
1. 2.

3.
c

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8-1 Practice
Introduction to Vectors
Use a ruler and a protractor to draw an arrow diagram for each quantity described. Include a scale on each
diagram.

1. a. r = 60 meters at a bearing of N45°E b. t = 100 pounds of force at 60°to the

horizontal

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2. Draw a vector diagram of 𝐛 − 𝟑𝐚

a
b

3. Draw a vector diagram of 𝟐𝐚 − 𝐜

a c

Draw a diagram that shows the resolution of each vector into its rectangular components. Then find the
magnitudes of the vector’s horizontal and vertical components.
4. 2.5 centimeters per hour at a bearing of N50°W

5. 7 inches at a bearing of 120°to the horizontal

6. r = 60 meters at a bearing of N45°E

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8-2 Study Guide and Intervention

Vectors in the Coordinate Plane
Vectors in the Coordinate Plane The magnitude of a vector in the coordinate plane is found using the Distance
Formula.

⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ with initial point X(2, –3) and terminal point Y(–4, 2).
Example 1: Find the magnitude of 𝑿𝒀
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ using the Distance Formula.
Determine the magnitude of 𝑋𝑌
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ | = √(𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + (𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2
|𝑋𝑌
= √(−4 − 2)2 + [2 − (−3)]2
= √(−6)2 + 52
= √61 or about 7.8 units

Represent ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑋𝑌 as an ordered pair.

⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑋𝑌 = 〈𝑥2 – 𝑥1 , 𝑦2 – 𝑦1 〉 Component form
= 〈–4 – 2, 2 – (–3)〉 (𝑥1 , 𝑦1 ) = (2, –3) and (𝑥2 , 𝑦2 ) = (–4, 2)
= 〈–6, 5〉 Subtract.

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Example 2: Find each of the following for s = 〈4, 2〉 and t = 〈–1, 3〉.
a. s + t
s + t = 〈4, 2〉 + 〈–1, 3〉 Substitute.
= 〈4 + (–1), 2 + 3〉 or 〈3, 5〉 Vector addition

b. 3s + t
3s + t = 3〈4, 2〉 + 〈–1, 3〉 Substitute.
= 〈12, 6〉 + 〈–1, 3〉 Scalar multiplication
= 〈11, 9〉 Vector addition

Exercises
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ with the given initial and terminal points.
Find the component form and magnitude of the vector 𝑨𝑩

1. A(12, 41), B(52, 33) 2. A(–15, 0), B(7, –19)

Find each of the following for f = 〈4, –2〉, g = 〈24, 21〉, and h = 〈–1, –3〉.

3. f – g 4. 8g – 2f + 3h

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8-2 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Vectors in the Coordinate Plane
Unit Vectors A vector that has a magnitude of 1 unit is called a unit vector. A unit vector in the direction of the positive
x-axis is denoted as i = 〈1, 0〉, and a unit vector in the direction of the positive y-axis is denoted as j = 〈0, 1〉. Vectors can
be written as linear combinations of unit vectors by first writing the vector as an ordered pair and then writing it as a sum
of the vectors i and j.
Example 1: Find a unit vector u with the same direction as v = 〈–4, –1〉.
1
u = |𝐯| v Unit vector with the same direction as v
1
= |〈−4,−1〉|〈–4, –1〉 Substitute.

1
= 〈–4, –1〉 |〈𝑎, 𝑏〉| = √𝑎2 + 𝑏 2
√(−4)2 + (−1)2
1
= 〈–4, –1〉 Simplify.
√17
−4 −1 −4√17 −√17
=〈 , 〉 or 〈 , 17 〉 Scalar multiplication
√17 √17 17

Example 2: Let ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑

𝑴𝑷 be the vector with initial point M(2, 2) and terminal point P(5, 4). Write ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑴𝑷 as a linear
combination of the vectors i and j.
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ .
First, find the component form of 𝑀𝑃
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ = 〈𝒙𝟐 – 𝒙𝟏 , 𝒚𝟐 – 𝒚𝟏 〉
𝑀𝑃 Component form
= 〈5 – 2, 4 – 2〉 or 〈3, 2〉 (𝑥1 , 𝑦1 ) = (2, 2) and (𝑥2 , 𝑦2 ) = (5, 4)
Then rewrite the vector as a linear combination of the standard unit vectors.
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑀𝑃 = 〈3, 2〉 Component form
= 3i + 2j 〈a, b〉 = ai + bj

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Exercises
Find a unit vector u with the same direction as the given vector.
1. p = 〈4, –3〉 2. w = 〈10, 25〉

Let ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑀𝑁 be the vector with the given initial and terminal points. Write ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑀𝑁 as a linear combination of the
vectors i and j.

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3. M(2, 8), N(–5, –3) 4. M(0, 6), N(18, 4)

Find the component form of v with the given magnitude and direction angle.

5. |v| = 18, θ = 240° 6. |v| = 5, θ = 95°

Find the direction angle of each vector to the nearest tenth.

7. –4i + 2j 8. 〈2, 17〉

8-2 Practice
Vectors in the Coordinate Plane
⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑ with the given initial and terminal points.
Find the component form and magnitude of 𝑨𝑩

1. A(2, 4), B(–1, 3) 2. A(4, –2), B(5, –5) 3. A(–3, –6), B(8, –1)

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Find each of the following for v = 〈2, –1〉 and w = 〈–3, 5〉 .

4. 3v 5. w – 2v

6. 4v + 3w 7. 5w – 3v

Find a unit vector u with the same direction as v.

8. v = 〈–3, 6〉 9. v = 〈–8, –2〉

Let ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑫𝑬 be the vector with the given initial and terminal points. Write ⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑⃑
𝑫𝑬 as a linear combination of the
vectors i and j.

10. D(4, –5), E(6, –7) 11. D(–4, 3), E(5, –2)

Find the component form of v with the given magnitude and direction angle.
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12. |v| = 12, θ = 42° 13. |v| = 8, θ = 132°

14. GARDENING Anne and Henry are lifting a stone statue and moving it to a new location in their garden. Anne is
pushing the statue with a force of 120 newtons at a 60°angle with the horizontal while Henry is pulling the statue with
a force of 180 newtons at a 40°angle with the horizontal. What is the magnitude of the combined force they exert on
the statue?

15. KAYAKING Walter is kayaking across a river that has a current of 2.5 meters per second. He is paddling at a rate of
4 meters per second perpendicular to the shore.

a. What is the resultant velocity of the kayak?

b. At what angle will Walter be moving with respect to the shore?

Chapter 8 11 Glencoe Precalculus