VECTORS AND
SCALARS
VECTORS AND SCALARS
1. A scalar quantity is one, which is fully defined by
magnitude alone. Important scalars: distance, speed,
mass, time, work, energy, power, etc.
2. A vector quantity is fully defined by magnitude and
direction. Important vectors: displacement, velocity,
acceleration, force, impulse, momentum, etc.
VECTORS AND SCALARS
4. A resultant is one vector, which has the same effect on a
body as the two or more vectors that are actually acting on
that body. It starts at the beginning of the first vector and
ends at the end of the last one.
5. An equilibrant is one vector, which cancels out the effect
that the two or more vectors actually have on a body. It is
equal in size to the resultant but opposite in direction.
VECTORS AND SCALARS
6. Positive (+) and negative (-) signs are used to indicate
direction in vectors. (Not their magnitude.)
7. Arrows are used in vectors to give magnitude (length of
arrow) and direction (head of arrow).
VECTORS AND SCALARS
8. Zero acceleration means that:
a) the body is either at rest or travelling at constant speed in one
direction (constant velocity).
b) the forces acting on the body are in equilibrium.
c) the forces acting on the body have a resultant of zero. (The last
vector is the equilibrant of the others.)
9. Distance moved is the actual length of the path along which an
object travelled. It is a scalar.
VECTORS AND SCALARS
10. Displacement is the straight line distance from the
beginning to the end of the path along which an object moved.
It is a vector and has nothing to do with how the object got
there. (Remember if a body returns to its original starting point
its displacement is zero and its velocity is therefore zero since
velocity = displacement time. But its speed = total distance
travelled time taken)
velocity = displacement ÷ time
speed = total distance travelled ÷ time taken
TIPS ON VECTOR DRAWINGS
1. Always draw a sketch first. Make the sketch
approximately to scale. Most questions can be
solved using a triangle. Remember to draw a
triangle accurately you need to know three facts
about the triangle, one of which must be the
length of one side.
2. If a scale is not given, choose one as big as
possible. Write down your choice.
3. If compass directions are given, draw a small
compass.
TIPS ON VECTOR DRAWINGS
4. Never give a compass direction in the answer if a compass
direction is not given in the question.
5. “Bearing” (“heading”) is the number of degrees clockwise
from north. It must have 3 digits. i.e. 20 E of N = Bearing 020
6. When the answer asked for is a vector, two answers are
required: magnitude and direction.
HOW TO TACKLE A QUESTION
ON VECTORS
• Lines with arrowheads are used to describe a
vector.
• The length of the line gives the magnitude
(or size) of the vector.
• The direction in which the arrow points gives
the direction of the vector.
VECTOR DIAGRAMS
1. Vector diagrams are diagrams, which describe the direction and
relative magnitude of a vector quantity by a vector arrow. Vector
diagrams can be used to describe the velocity of a moving object
during its motion.
VECTOR DIAGRAMS
• For example, the velocity of a car moving down the road could be
represented by the following vector diagram: In a vector diagram, the
magnitude of a vector is represented by the size of the vector arrow.
If the size of the arrow in each consecutive frame of the vector
diagram is the same, then the magnitude of that vector is constant.
• The diagrams below depict the velocity of a car during its motion. In
the top diagram - figure 1 - the size of the velocity vector is constant,
so the diagram is representing a motion with constant velocity. In the
bottom diagram - figure 2 - the size of the velocity vector is
increasing, hence the diagram is describing a motion with increasing
velocity - i.e., acceleration.
Problem Solving Strategies
• There are two basic types of vector questions:
1. Where a second vector occurs after the first one has
finished
Example: A man walks 4 km north and then 3 km east.
In a case like this we
1. draw a small compass (because the question has
used north, south east and/or west)
Problem Solving Strategies
2. use arrows, one after the other to tell the story of
what the man did
Notice
1. the direction of each arrow
2. how the 3 km arrow starts where the 4 km arrow
ends (head to tail method)
3. how the 4 km arrow is longer than the 3 km
arrow
4. we know that the angle between the 4 km and 3
km is 900 (the angle between north and east)
Problem Solving Strategies
3. now it depends on what you are asked: If
you are asked the distance the man moved
from start to finish it is simply:
4 km + 3 km = 7 km (no direction since
'distance' is a scalar.) However, if you are
asked what was the manís displacement
from start to finish, you are being asked for
the straight line distance (and the direction
of the line) from A to B.
Scale Drawing
• This is where you decide (if a scale is not given) to make 1 km
say 2 cm long. This makes the 4 km line 8 cm long - and you
draw this line going north exactly 8 cm long. You then use a
protractor (or set square) to make an angle of 900 and you
then draw the 3 km line going east (to the right) at 900 to the
4 km and make it exactly 6cm long (1 km ≙ 2 cm; 3km ≙
6cm). At the end of this line (at 6 cm) you have found the
exact position of B.
Scale Drawing
• You now join A to B and measure the length of AB. You will
find it to be 10 cm long. Now you use the scale in reverse.
For every 2 cm you have along AB you have 1 km. Hence
10cm means AB represents 5 km - and this is the magnitude
of the resultant. To get direction you use a protractor to
measure the angle λ. When you do this accurately you will
find it to be about 370 . You can, in your answer give this
direction in several ways (to say that λ = 370 is not good
enough).
Scale Drawing
You can say:
1) Displacement = 5 km 37 E of N
2) Displacement = 5 km 53 N of E (unusual)
3) Displacement = 5 km on a bearing of 037
4) Displacement = 5 km on a heading of 037
5) Displacement = 5 km at an angle of 370 clockwise from the 4km
vector.
The best answer would be 1) or 3).
By Calculation
This is divided into two main sections:
A). Provided we have a right angle (900 ) between two of the
vectors. If we do, we use the trigonometric ratios: sin, cos or tan
By Calculation
• B). If we do not have a right angled triangle we use either
the sine rule or the cosine rule. (It is rare that this type of
question is asked in the matric examination.)
The drawing of a triangle
In most vector problems the simplest approach and best method
is to use a triangle. To construct a triangle to scale we need to know
three facts about the triangle we wish to draw.
• two sides and the included angle
• two angles and the included side
• three sides (not usual in vectors)
The drawing of a triangle
When two vectors act on a body simultaneously
a) When two forces for example act on a body at the same
time and we need to find the resultant force (one force that
will have the same result on the body that the two forces
together are having), we follow much the same as before - we
pretend that one of the vectors starts after the other has
finished.
The drawing of a triangle
• b) Three forces in equilibrium If a body has two or more
forces acting on it and it does not move (accelerate) then the
forces are balanced: the forces are in equilibrium. Any one
force is the equilibrant of the others.
