PHYS 170 Section 203 Lecture 4

January 13, 2025

 Jan 13—Announcements

• Office hours: Thursdays, 3:30-4:30 pm (Zoom)

• Can always schedule alternate times via email

 Lecture Outline/Learning Goals
• Finish introduction to Cartesian vectors
– Cartesian vector: direction, coordinate direction angles, direction cosines
– Operations with Cartesian vectors

• Concurrent force systems

• Interpretation of 3D figures

• Sample problems (concurrent force system)

 CARTESIAN VECTOR REPRESENTATION &
MAGNITUDE OF A CARTESIAN VECTOR

A = Ax i + Ay j + Az k

A= Ax2 + Ay2 + Az2

Ax , Ay and Az can have either sign in general.

 Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

One of Descartes’ most enduring legacies was his development of

Cartesian or analytic geometry, which uses algebra to describe
geometry. He “invented the convention of representing unknowns in
equations by x, y, and z, and knowns by a, b, and c.” … (Wikipedia)
DIRECTION OF A CARTESIAN VECTOR

• Introduce coordinate direction

angles

α, β, γ
as measured between the tail of
the vector and the positive x, y, z
axes located at the tail

Ay
cos β = for example
A
 DIRECTION COSINES

Ax Ay Az
cos α =
= cos β = cos γ
A A A
• Consider unit vector in direction of A

A Ax Ay Az
uA = = i + j+ k
A A A A

• Therefore have

u A = cos α i + cos β j + cos γ k

• Important relationship (since uA is a unit vector)

cos α + cos β + cos γ =

2 2
1 2
 RELATION TO CARTESIAN VECTOR FORM
• Will sometimes be given a vector in terms of its magnitude
and direction angles

• Can then convert to Cartesian vector form using

A = Au A
= A cos α i + A cos β j + A cos γ k
= Ax i + Ay j + Az k
• Direction angles will always satisfy

0 ≤ α , β , γ ≤ 180
° °
ADDITION & SUBTRACTION OF CARTESIAN VECTORS

• EASY!! Simply add/subtract

corresponding components

• ADDITION
R= A + B
= ( Ax + Bx )i + ( Ay + By ) j + ( Az + Bz )k

• SUBTRACTION
R=' A − B
= ( Ax − Bx )i + ( Ay − By ) j + ( Az − Bz )k
 CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEMS
• Can extend this technique of vector addition
to system of an arbitrary number of
concurrent (simultaneously applied) forces

• General resultant force is given by

FR = ΣF = ΣFx i + ΣFy j + ΣFz k

Interpreting Three-dimensional (3D) Figures
(expressing vectors in Cartesian form)

Express F as a
Cartesian vector

Note two-step
procedure to determine
x and y components
  
| F ′ | = | F | cos 60° = (100 lb) cos 60° = 50 lb IMPORTANT: Fx , Fy and Fz

Fx | = F ′ | cos 45° (50= lb) cos 45° 35.4 lb are the components of the force
 
Fy = − | F ′ | sin 45° = −(50 lb) sin 45° =
−35.4 lb F , not the magnitudes of the
   
Fz = | F | sin 60° = (100 lb) sin 60° = 86.6 lb vectors Fx , Fy and Fz (text
    differs sometimes!)
F = (35.4 i − 35.4 j + 86.6 k ) lb
 Problem F2-18 (page 51)

Determine the resultant force acting on the block

Shaded blue triangles always have one vertex that
concides with origin. Among other things means

that vector F1 lies in the yz plane (i.e. no x component).

Resolution of F2 into components follows same two-step
procedure as previously to determine F2 x and F2 y
4
F1 y =  (500) 400 lb
5
3
F1z = (500) 300 lb
5
Note that we have suppressed
F2 x (800)(cos
= 45 )(cos 30 ) 489.90 lb
° °
units in the intermediate steps
F2 y (800)(cos
= 45° )(sin 30° ) 282.84 lb of the calculation. This is
F2 z = −(800)(sin 45° ) = −565.69 lb perfectly acceptable practice.
Just ensure that your final
    answers ALWAYS include
FR = ∑ Fx i + ∑ Fy j + ∑ Fz k
   units.
= (490 i + 683 j − 266 k ) lb
Problem F2-14 (page 51)

Express the force as a Cartesian vector

In this example, the angles which are given are
coordinate direction angles. Specifically, we are
given α = 120° and γ = 60°. From those, and the
equation cos 2α + cos 2 β + cos 2 γ =
1 we can determine
β.

cos 2 α + cos 2 β + cos 2 γ =

1
cos β = 1 − cos 2 120° − cos 2 60° = ±0.70711
We choose cosβ = −0.70711 since Fy < 0 from
the figure.

Expressing the force as a Cartesian vector we have

 
F = F uF
  
(500)(− cos 60 i − 0.70711 j + cos 60 k )
° °

  
= (−250 i − 354 j + 250 k ) N
 Problem 2-79, (page 54, 12th edition)


Specify the magnitude of F3 and its coordinate
direction angles α 3 , β 3 and γ 3 so that the

resultant force is 9 j kN
 z
z 
F2 = 10 kN

13 5 y
30 °
12
 Fig. (b)
F 1= 12 kN
Fig. (a)

x
z

γ3
 β3
F3

α3
y

x Fig. (c)
 z 
F2 = 10 kN
• Forces (units suppressed)
  
= °
(
F1 12 cos 30 j − sin 30 k
°
) 13 5
12 z
  12  5  
F2 10  − i + k 
=
 13 13 
   
F3 = Fx i + Fy j + Fz k y
  30 °
FR = 9 j x

• Equations for the resultant force F1 = 12 kN
z
   
FR = FRx i + FRy j + FRz k γ3
 β3
120 F3
∑ x
FRx = F : 0 =
−
13
+ Fx

FRy ∑=Fy : 9 12 cos 30° + Fy α3

y
50
∑ Fz :
FRz = 0=
−12sin 30° +
13
+ Fz

x
• Solve for Fx , Fy , Fz :
120 Store in calculator memory A
Fx
= = A
13
Fy = 9 − 12 cos 30° = B Store in calculator memory B

50
Fz 12sin
= 30° − C Store in calculator memory C
13

• Determine magnitude F3 and coordinate direction angles

Store in calculator memory F

F3 = Fx2 + Fy2 + Fz2 = A2 + B 2 + C 2 = F =9.58 kN

α3 −1
cos= ( Fx / F3 ) cos
= −1
( A / F ) 15.5°
β3 −1
cos= ( Fy / F3 ) cos
= −1
( B / F ) 98.4°
γ3 cos
= −1
( Fz / F3 ) cos
= −1
( C / F ) 77.0°
 Clicker Question

Express the force as a Cartesian vector F = 100 N

40°

A) {-46.0 i + 61.3 j + 64.3 k} N

B) {38.6 i + 51.4 j + 76.6 k} N

C) {-38.6 i + 51.4 j + 76.6 k} N

D) {46.0 i + 61.3 j + 64.3 k} N

 Clicker Question

Express the force as a Cartesian vector F = 100 N

40°

A) {-46.0 i + 61.3 j + 64.3 k} N

= Fz 100sin(40
= ° ) 64.279 N
B) {38.6 i + 51.4 j + 76.6 k} N
= F ' 100cos(40
= ° ) 76.604 N

 3 =
 
C) {-38.6 i + 51.4 j + 76.6 k} N Fx =−(76.604)  5 
−45.962 N
 

=Fy (76.604) 4
= 61.283 N



D) {46.0 i + 61.3 j + 64.3 k} N 5 


     
F= −46.0 i + 61.3 j + 64.3 k  N
 