PHYSICS 1 MODULE 1 1.1.

2 SCALARS & VECTORS

At the end of this module the students should be able to:
 define scalar and vector quantities and give examples;
 draw and use a vector triangle to determine the resultant of two coplanar vectors, such as
displacement, velocity and force;
 calculate the resultant of two perpendicular vectors such as displacement, velocity and force;
and
 resolve a vector such displacement, velocity and force into two perpendicular components.

SCALAR AND VECTOR QUANTITIES

Some physical quantities can be fully defined by specifying their magnitude with a unit, but others also
require their direction to be specified.

 A VECTOR is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction

 A SCALAR just has a magnitude – it is just a (positive or negative) number.
A VECTOR can be represented by an ARROW.
 The length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector.
 The tail of the arrow represents the origin of the vector.
 The head of the arrow represents the direction of the vector.
 Anything that has a direction as well as a size will be a vector – for example, if you tell your
friend that your house is 500 m NE of the school, you are representing the position of your
house by a vector. – its magnitude is 500 m and its direction is NE. If, instead, you just said that
your house was 500 m away from the school, you are using a scalar quantity (distance). You will
notice that the scalar is NOT so useful as the vector in telling your friend where your house is.
 The Tale below shows some common examples of scalar and vector quantities.

SCALARS VECTORS
distance displacement
speed velocity
temperature acceleration
energy force
power momentum
pressure torque/moment of force
mass weight
work impulse

It is important to understand the difference between distance and displacement, and between speed
and velocity (and hence average speed and average velocity)
Suppose you walk 10 m East, then 6 m West. The total distance you have travelled is obviously 16 m.
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 However, your final displacement – which just means where you end up relative to where you started
– is 4 m East.

Suppose you were walking at a steady 2m/s. Then your speed was constant throughout – it was 2 m/s.
However, your velocity was not constant, since to begin with you were travelling at 2m/s East, then
you changed to 2 m/s West

Your average speed for the walk is:

 Total distance / total time = 16/8 = 2 m/s (since it takes 10/2 = 5 s walking East and 6/2 = 3 s
walking West)
However, your average velocity is:
 Total displacement / total time = 4 m/8 s = 0.5 m/s East.

NOTE: Always be very careful not to use ‘speed’ when you mean ‘velocity’ and vice versa – try to see
first whether it has a direction.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1. Draw vectors to represent each of the following:
a. A velocity of 35 m/s in a direction 20o South of East.
Scale: 1 cm = 10 m/s

b. A force of 4 N at an angle of 30o above the horizontal. (scale: 1 cm = 1 N)

ADDING VECTORS
When two or more vectors act together they are added vectorially to produce the equivalent effect of a
single vector called the RESULTANT.

 Vectors acting in the same direction

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 15 N
Resultant = 20 N
5N

 Vectors acting in opposite directions

15 N
Resultant = 10 N
5N

 Vectors acting at right angles

For example:

The magnitude of Resultant, R is obtained using Pythagoras’ Theorem:

R 2 = (15 N)2 + (40 N)2
= 1825
R = √1825 N2
R = 42.7 N

The direction of R is obtained from:

opp
tan Ɵ =
adj
40
Ɵ = tan-1
15

Ɵ = tan-1 (2.67)
Ɵ = 69o 26’ N of E

Note: North of EAST means the angle comes from the East going to NORTH.

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  The resultant, R can be obtained from a scale drawing.

o Choose a suitable scale (in this case say 1 cm = 5 N).

o Draw a vector to represent the 15 N force (a horizontal line which is 3 cm long).
o The draw the vector to represent the 40 N force (a vertical line which is 8 cm long) with
its tail starting at the tip of the 15 N force vector (This is called head - tail method).
o The RESULTANT is the vector which closes the triangle. (An arrow is drawn from the
origin to the tip of the last vector).
o Its magnitude is then obtained by measuring the length of the vector and its direction
is obtained using a protractor.

Try this yourself. Draw your answer below. Follow the steps above.

 Vectors acting at an angle: Scale: 1 cm = 5 N

o Vector A = 20 N, 15o N of E
o Vector B = 40 N, 50o N of E

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  The scale drawing method we have used is called the TRIANGLE OF VECTORS. The three forces
involved from a closed triangle.

 Vector addition can be used to solve problems involving more than two vectors and the
method id then called the POLYGON OF VECTORS.

RESULTANT OF MORE THAN 2 VECTORS (GRAPHICAL METHOD)

 To find the resultant of more than 2 vectors, we draw a vector polygon.
 This is very similar to finding the resultant of 2 vectors (Head-Tail Method), except that you
draw the third vector after the second vector, and so on. The diagram shows the vector
addition of vectors a, b, c and d, and their resultant, R.

 If you used to find the resultant of 3 or more vectors by calculation, it is best to use
ANALYTICAL METHOD.
 Special case: If the vector polygon closes (So the end of the last vector coincides with the start
of the first one), then the resultant is ZERO.

USING COMPONENTS TO FIND THE RESULTANT (ANALYTICAL METHOD)

For problems involving many vectors, the following provides a fail-safe method to find the resultant
force:
Choose two sensible perpendicular directions – horizontal and vertical are often a good idea.
Resolve every vector involved in these two directions (you could put them in a table to aid
clarity and ensure you have not missed one out).
Add up all the components in one direction (e.g horizontal), which gives the resultant force in
that direction.
Repeat for all the components in the other direction (e.g vertical).
You are now left with two perpendicular vectors. Find the resultant of these two vectors using
Pythagoras and basic Trigonometry.
Use the Cartesian plane as your guide for directions.

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 For Example:

We will take to the right, and upwards as positive.

Vector Horizontal Component Vertical Component

9 9 0
6 6 (cos 30o) 6 (sin 30o)
4 -4 (cos 50o) 4 (sin 50o)
8 -8 (cos 60o) -8 (sin 60o)

The angles 50o and 60o come from using angles on a straight line = 180 o

So total of Horizontal components = 9 + 6 cos30 o – 4cos50o – 8cos60o

= 7.625
Total of Vertical components = 0 + 6 sin30 o + 4 sin 50o – 8 sin60o
= 1.864
So to find the overall resultant:

By Pythagoras, magnitude of R = √(6.625)2 +(1.864)2

= 7.8 (2 S.F)

For the direction of R:

Ɵ = tan-1(1.864 / 7.625)
= 14o (below the horizontal)

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 Practice questions:
1. An insect runs alongside OA of a table and then does a 90o turn and runs alongside AB.

Calculate the magnitude and direction of its displacement.

2. An aircraft flies 20 km due East and then 30 km North-East.

Use a scale diagram to determine the magnitude and direction of the aircraft’s final displacement.
(Scale: 1 cm = 5 km)

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 3. (a) (i) Explain the difference between scalar and vector quantities.
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(ii) Which of the quantities shown below are vector quantities? Circle your answer.

Acceleration energy force power speed

(b) Use a vector diagram drawn to scale to determine the magnitude and direction of the two
forces shown in the diagram below.

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 4. A lady travels down a pulley-rope system which has been set up between two large poles. The
picture below shows the girl at a point on her run where she has come to rest.
All the forces acting on the pulley wheel are shown in the diagram below.

(a) Explain why the vector sum of the three forces must be equal to zero.
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(b) (i) Sketch a labelled vector triangle of the forces acting on the pulley wheel.

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 (ii) Use a scale diagram to determine the tension forces T1and T2which the rope exerts on
the pulley wheels.

ESSENTIAL TRIGONOMETRY
 Consider a vector A at an angle Ɵ to the axis.

o sin Ɵ = opposite / hypotenuse = Y/A

So Y = A sin Ɵ
o cos Ɵ= adjacent / hypotenuse = X / A
So X = A cos Ɵ

 Applying the above to any single vector F, it can be seen that the vector can be RESOLVED into
two perpendicular vectors.

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 The diagram below shows a force F which has been resolved into two perpendicular
components.

Vertical component, Fy= F sinƟ Horizontal component, Fx = F cosƟ

SIMPLE PRACTICAL ACTIVITY – THREE FORCES EQUILIBRIUM

 The pulleys and masses are set up as shown below.

 Masses are placed on the three mass hangers and they are then allowed to move until they
stabilize.
 The string pattern is then drawn on the paper behind the pulleys.
 The forces acting at point P are then calculated using W = mg.
 A vector diagram is drawn to find the RESULTANT of the two upward forces. Is this equal and
opposite to the downward force?

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 SUPPLEMENTARY EXERCISES (TO BE SUBMITTED)
1. A small aeroplane travels 30 km due north and then 40 km due east.
a. Draw a vector triangle for the final displacement. [2]

b. Determine the magnitude of the final displacement. [2]

2. Calculate the magnitude of the resultant force in each situation below.

7.0 N

5.0 N [2]

10 N

20 N [2]

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 [3]

3. The figure below shows a swimmer attempting to swim across a river.

The swimmer swims at a velocity of 2.5 m/s normal to the riverbank and the velocity of the
river water is 3.0 m/s parallel to the riverbank.

Calculate:
a. the magnitude of the actual velocity of the swimmer [3]

b. the direction of the final velocity relative to the riverbank. [2]

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 4. In each case below, resolve the vector into two perpendicular components in the x and y
directions.
a. b. c.
y y y

x x x

[2] [2] [2]

QUIZ (SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER)
1. A girl of mass 35 kg on a swing is pulled to one side. The diagram below shows the forces on
the seat of the swing when it is in equilibrium.


Weight
a. What is the net force on the seat? [1]
b. Draw a vector triangle of forces. Hence determine:
i. the tension T in the rope; [4]
ii. the angle Ɵ made by the rope with the vertical. [2]

2. The diagram shows below a stunt man of mass 82 kg holding on to a rope. The rope on either
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 side of the man makes an angle of 5.0 oto the horizontal.

a. Determinate the tension T in the rope. [3]

b. What would be the consequence of making the angle between the rope and the
horizontal equal to zero? [2]
3. The figure below shows an airplane flying at a constant velocity of 80 km/h in a north-westerly
direction.

The airplane is in flight for 90 minutes. For this airplane, determine in km:
a. its total displacement; [1]
b. its displacement in the northerly direction. [2]
LABORATORY ACTIVITY
Using the triangle of forces to determine the weight of an object.

SAFETY
 There are not likely to be any major hazards in carrying out this experiment. However,
everyone should exercise safety at all times.

MATERIALS

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  Iron stands two spring balance string
 G - clamps an object (e.g. hammer) protractor

INTRODUCTION
In this activity you will determine the weight of an object by constructing a triangle of forces. When
three forces acting at a point are in equilibrium or balance (not moving), we can construct a triangle of
forces to represent the forces.

PROCEDURE
a. Cut three 60 cm lengths of string and tie them together at one end.
b. Tie the other ends of two of the strings to spring balances and the end of the third string to
the object, as shown in the figure below.

c. By either raising or lowering the spring balances or by moving the clamp stands, adjust the
angle between the vertical and horizontal strings to be 90 o.
d. Measure the angle Ɵ with a protractor.
e. Measure the tensions T and F from the spring balances.
f. Repeat the activity (at least three) for different angles Ɵ. Record your results in a table.

T (N) F (N) Ɵ (degrees)

g. For each activity, construct a triangle of forces. Determine the weight, W of the object you

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 hang. (This may either be done by a scale drawing or using trigonometry).
h. Determine the average value for the weight W of the object from your experiment. How
does your value compare with the actual weight of the object when measured using spring
balance or digital weighing scale?

i. Determine the percentage uncertainty of your answer.

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