VECTORS Vector Addition

- Draw arrows head to tail if there is an angle

Scalars Vectors
Graphical method
Magnitude only Direction and magnitude Ex: A cross country skier skis 225m, 25oN of E and then
150m, E on a horizontal snowfield. How far and in what
direction is she from the starting point?
Vectors are represented by drawing arrows
- The length and the direction of vector should be
d1 = 225m, 250 NoE
drawn to a reasonable scale and size and show
d2 = 150 m, E
its magnitude
Notation
Scale: 1cm = 100m
- Bold
- Can also be written as the letters of its head and
is tail with an arrow above

Vector Application
Subtraction - when 2 vectors point in the opposite
direction. Simply subtract them
Ex. A man walks 46.5m east, then another 20m west.
Answer: 26.5m, E.

What if the vector is at an angle?

Pythagorean theorem Components of a vector
SOHCAHTOA
What about direction? Ay = Asinθ Ax = Acosθ

Ex: A cross country skier skis 225m, 25oN of E and then

150m, E on a horizontal snowfield. How far and in what
direction is she from the starting point?

Magnitude θ x-comp y-comp

225m 25o 225cos25 225sin25

= 203.92 = 95.09
Vector Operations
150m 0 150cos0 150sin0
Complete the table below:
= 150 =0

Direction Θ (from the x-axis) Rx = Ry =

353.92m 95.09m
310o 2 2
R= (𝑅𝑥) + (𝑅𝑦)
NW 2 2
R = (353. 92𝑚) + (95. 09𝑚)
215o R = 366.47m
𝑅𝑦
θ = tan-1
15o E o N 𝑅𝑥

60o θ = tan-1
95.09𝑚
= 15o
353.92𝑚
o
R = 336.47m, 15 NoE
*The direction depends on the x and y components Unit Vectors
A unit vector is a vector that has a magnitude of 1, with no
TRY THIS! units. Will always include a caret or, or “hat” (^), in the
Housemates in a PBB reality TV show are brought to the symbol for unit vector to distinguish it from ordinary
center of a large, flat field. Each is given a meter stick, a vectors whose magnitude may or may not be equal to 1.
compass, a shovel, and (in different order for each
contestant) the following three displacements: A = AX 𝑖 + Ay 𝑗 + Az𝑘
d1 = 72.4m, 32o EoN Where
d2 = 57.3m, 36o SoW - “i” is for x component
d3 = 17.8m, due south - “j” is for y component
- “k” is for z component

Magnitude θ x-comp y-comp Example:

d1 = 225m, 250 NoE = (203.92 𝑖 + 95.09 𝑗 ) m
d2 = 150 m, E = 150 𝑖 m

TRY THIS!
D = (6.00 𝑖 + 3.00 𝑗 - 1.00𝑘) m
E = (4.00 𝑖 - 5.00 𝑗 + 8.00𝑘) m

Rx = Ry = a. D+E

b. D-E

c. 2D + E

Products of Vectors
A. Scalar Product (Dot Product)
A•B
Defined to be the magnitude of A multiplied by the
component of B in the direction of A.

A • B = ABcosθ
A • B = AxBx + AyBy + AzBz
𝐴𝑥𝐵𝑥 + 𝐴𝑦𝐵𝑦 + 𝐴𝑧𝐵𝑧
θ = cos-1 𝐴𝐵
Example: Find the scalar product A • B of the two vectors
in the figure below. The magnitude of the vectors are A =
5.00 and B = 7.00

A • B = ABcosθ A x B = (AxBy - AyBx) 𝑘

A • B = (5.00)(7.00)cos77o - Use this because there is no z component
A • B = 7.87 Sol’n:
A x B = [((6)(4sin30o) - (0)(4sin30o))] 𝑘
B. Vector Product (Cross Product)
A x B defined to be a vector quantity with a magnitude C = A x B = 12 𝑘
equal to Asinθ and a direction perpendicular to the plane
of vectors A and B TRY!
C=AxB For the two vectors A and B , find the
C = ABsinθ (a) Scalar product
- Magnitude of vector (b) Magnitude and direction or the vector product
- Product of vectors A and B
Yields a product that is a vector quantity

C = ABsinθ
Cx = AyBz - AzBy
Cy = AzBx - AxBz
Cz = AxBy - AyBx
A x B = (AyBz - AzBy) 𝑖 + (AzBx - AxBz) 𝑗 + (AxBy - AyBx) 𝑘

*How to remember: x y z goes accordingly then minus (a) Scalar product

then switch positions

Example
Vector A has magnitude 6 units and is in the direction of
the x-axis vector B had magnitude 4 units and lies in the
xy-plane, making an angle of 30o with the + x axis. Fine the (b) Magnitude and direction or the vector product
vector product C = A x B
Practice activities
1. A postal employee drives a delivery truck along
the route shown below. Determine the
magnitude and direction of the resultant force.

3. A disoriented professor drives 3.25 km north

then 2.20km west, and then 1.50 km south. Find
the magnitude and direction of the resultant
displacement, using the method of components.

4. (a) Write each vector in Figure E1.39 in terms of

𝑖 and 𝑗 . (b) Use unit vectors to express vector C
(c) Find the magnitude and direction of C

2. Compute the x- and y- components of the

vectors A, B, C, and D.
If vector A - vector B = 0, then the vectors have equal Given vector A and B
magnitudes and are directed in the opposite directions
from each other. A = 5i + 2j

a. True B = 2j + 3k
b. False
Find the scalar product and vector product
Two vectors A and B lie in the xy-plane. Can A have the
same magnitude as B but different components?

a. No
b. Yes
c. Not enough information

A cat walks 0.5 m North, followed by 1.0 m East, then 2.0

m South. (a) What is the magnitude of the cat's
displacement? (b) What is the direction of the cat's
displacement?
MOTION

Terminologies Time is increasing to the right,

and the distance is increasing
Kinematics - branch of mechanics that aims to describe the constantly with time. The
motion of objects. object moves at a constant
velocity.
Quantities that we often use to describe motion:
displacement, velocity, acceleration

Displacement
- Shortest distance from the initial to the final A steeper line indicates a
position; vector quantity larger distance moved in a
Distance: actual path travelled by an object; scalar quantity given time. In other words,
higher velocity.

The slope or the d-t graph represents the velocity

𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 ∆𝑥
Slope = 𝑟𝑢𝑛
= ∆𝑡

In what situation are distance and displacement equal to

each other? When an object moves in one direction

Try!
A boy walks 10m, N; 5m, E; 10m, S; 5m, W
Distance =
Displacement =

Velocity
- The rate of change of position
Acceleration
- Vector quantity; represents the change of
- rate of change of velocity
displacement of a body
Speed: scalar quantity; represents distance travelled per
unit of time
Velocity-time graphs
The speed is equal to the magnitude of velocity when an
Velocity is constant. A straight
object moves in one direction
line in a v-t graph does not mean
that the object is not moving.
Distance Time Graphs
- Time is always plotted on the x-axis. The further
to the right of the axis, the longer the time
interval
- Distance is plotted on the y-axis. The higher up
The increasing velocity means
the graph, the further from the start.
that the moving object is
accelerating
Time is increasing to the right,
but its distance does not
change. It is not moving. AT
REST Decreasing velocity means the
the object is decelerating
 Both the dashed and solid line
show increasing velocity. Both
lines reach the same velocity but
the solid one takes longer. The
dashed line shows a greater
acceleration.

The Slope of a v-t graph represents the acceleration.

UNIFORM MOTION
- Velocity is constant
- Acceleration is 0 Problem 3: An airplane travels 2100km at a velocity of
800km/hr. It encounters a tailwind that boasts its velocity
Problem 1: A train leaves the station at the 0.0m marker to 1000km/hr for the next 3 hrs. What is the average
traveling with a constant velocity of 30.0m/s. How many velocity of the plane for the entire trip?
seconds later will the train past the 1620 m marker?

Given:
v = 36.0 m/s
X2 = 1620 m
X1 = 0

Unknown:
∆t = ?

Equation:
𝑥2−𝑥1
v= ∆𝑡

Solution:
1620𝑚 − 0
∆𝑡 = 36.0𝑚/𝑠
= 45s

TRY THIS!
Problem 2: Starting from a pillar, you run 200m, E at an
average speed of 5.0m/s and then 280m, W at an average
speed of 4.0m/s to a post. Calculate (a) your average speed
from pillar to post and (b) your average velocity from pillar
to post.
TRY!
1. Starting from the front door of a ranch house, you walk
60.0m due east to a windmill. Turn around, and then
slowly walk 40.0m west to a bench, where you sit and
watch the sunrise. It takes you 28.0s to walk from the
house to the windmill and then 36.0s to walk door to the
bench. What are your (a) average velocity (b) average
speed?
 MOTION ALONG A STRAIGHT LINE
Instantaneous Velocity
- The velocity of a specific instant of time or
specific point along the path is given by

∆𝑥 𝑑𝑥
𝑣𝑥 = lim ∆𝑡
= 𝑑𝑡
∆𝑡 → 0

Recall: Derivatives
- The rate of change of a function with respect to a
variable

𝑑 𝑛 𝑛−1
𝑑𝑡
𝑥 = 𝑛𝑥

Example: x=20m + (5.0 m/s2) t2

𝑑 𝑛
𝑑𝑡
𝑥 = 0 + 2 (5.0m/s2) t2-1
𝑑 𝑛
𝑑𝑡
𝑥 = (10.0m/s2) t

Instantaneous Velocity
- The acceleration of a specific instant of time or
specific point along the path and is given by
2. An airplane takes off at 10:00am and flies a straight path
at 350 km/hr until 1 pm. Its velocity, then, changes to ∆𝑣𝑥 𝑑𝑣𝑥
400km/hr and maintains this velocity in the same direction 𝑎𝑥 = lim ∆𝑡
= 𝑑𝑡
∆𝑡 → 0
before it lands at 3:30pm. What is its average velocity for
the entire flight? Problem 1: A race car starts from rest and travels east
along a straight and level track. For the first 5.0s of the
car’s motion, the eastward component of the car’s velocity
is given by vx(t) = (0.860 m/s3)t2. What is the acceleration
of the car when vx = 12.0m/s?

Given:
vx(t) = (0.860m/s3)t2
Vx = 12.0m/s
Unknown: ax = ?
Eq’n:
𝑑𝑣𝑥
ax = 𝑑𝑡
Sol’n:

12.0 m/s = (0.860m/s3)t2

12.0 𝑚/𝑠
t2 = 3
(0.860𝑚/𝑠 )
t = 3.7354s
𝑑
ax = 𝑑𝑡
(0.860m/s3)t2
ax = 2 (0.860m/s3)t2-1
ax = 6.42 m/s2
UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED MOTION
- Motion of an object where the acceleration is
constant

The position time graph of an object moving along the

x-axis at constant acceleration is a parabola opening
upward.

The velocity changes at a constant rate. The slope of the

line is positive corresponding to positive acceleration.

Practice! TRY!
1. A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly for 5s 1. A bird is flying due east. It’s distance from a tall building
for a distance of 250m. (a) Determine the acceleration of is given by x(t) = 28.0m + (12.4 m/s)t - (0.0450 m/s3) t3.
the car. (b) what is the distance of the car from the starting What is the instantaneous velocity of the bird when t =
point/ position after 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s? (c) what is the 8.00s?
velocity of the car after 1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s?

2. An antelope is moving with constant acceleration covers

the distance between two points 70.0m apart in 6.00s. Its
velocity as it passes the second point is 15.0m/s. What are
(a) its speed at the first point (b) its acceleration?
 2
𝑔𝑡
y = yo +viyt - 2
2
𝑔𝑡
y= - 2
-2y = gt2
−2𝑦
t= 𝑔

−2(105𝑚)
t= 2
9.8𝑚/𝑠
t = 4.65s

vfy = viy - gt

vfy = - gt
vfy = (-9.8m/s2) (4.629s)
vfy = - 45. 37 m/s

Try!
A one euro coin is dropped from the leaning tower of pisa
FREEFALL and falls freely from rest. What are its positions and
An object that is being acted upon only by the force of velocity after 1.0s, 2.0s, 3.0s? Ignore air resistance.
gravity (no air resistance) is said to be in a state of free fall.

A free falling object accelerates downward at a rate of

9.8m/s2

Cases:

1. dropped Viy = 0

2. Thrown downward Viy is negative

3. Thrown upward Viy is positive

- Negative and positive signs indicate the direction
of the object

Example: A rock is dropped off a cliff that is 106 m tall. (a)

how long will it take to hit the ground (b) what is the rock’s
final velocity?
Given:
viy = 0
yo = 0
g = 9.8m/s2
y = -105 m
Unknown:
(a) t = ?
(b) vfy = ?
A girl throws a ball vertically downward at 10m/s from the
Eq’n :
2
room of the building 20m high. How long will it take the
𝑔𝑡
y = yo +viyt - 2 ball to reach the ground?
vfy = viy - gt
Sol’n:
 Sol’n:
2
(25𝑚/𝑠)
ymax = 2
2(9.8𝑚/𝑠 )
ymax = 31.89m

𝑣𝑖𝑦 25𝑚/𝑠
tup = 𝑔
= 2 = 2.55s
9.8𝑚/𝑠

tt =2tup= 2(2.55s)
tt = 5.10s

or
𝑣𝑓𝑦 − 𝑣𝑖𝑦
t= −𝑔
−25𝑚/𝑠 − 25𝑚/𝑠
t= 2
−(9.8𝑚/𝑠 )
Free fall (thrown upward) tt = 5.10s
At the maximum height, the velocity of the object in free
fall is zero. Projectile Motion
- A two dimensional, curvilinear type of motion
- Path taken by a projectile is called a trajectory
- The motion of an object thrown or projected into
the air, subject to only the acceleration of gravity

Horizontal Vertical

Forces (present) no Yes (pull of

gravity
downward)

Acceleration no Yes, due to

(present) gravity, 9.8m/s2
Example: A foul ball is hit straight into the air with an initial
velocity of 25m/s. (a) how high does it go? (b) how long is Velocity Constant Changing
it in the air?
Given: Practice quiz:
viy = 25m/s
yo = 0 When applying the equations of kinematics for an object
G = 9.8m/s2 moving in one dimension, which of the following
Unknown: statements must be true?
(a) ymax = ? a. the position of the object must increase with
(b) tt = ? time
Eq’n: b. the velocity of the object must increase with
vfy2 = viy2 - 2g(y-yo) time
Viy2 = 2g(ymax) c. the velocity of the object must remain constant
2 d. the acceleration of the object must remain
𝑣𝑖𝑦
ymax = constant
2𝑔
Which of the following physical quantities is not important
vfy2 = viy2 - gt in the branch of kinematics?
𝑣𝑖𝑦
t= a. Mass
𝑔
b. Time
 c. Displacement A truck accelerates uniformly along a straight portion of
d. Speed the highway. The truck moves from 11.1 m/s (~40kph) to
13.9 m/s (~50kph) in 120 s (2 min). What distance did the
truck cover during this time?
A particle starts at rest and accelerates positively through
time. Which of the following best describes the graph of
the distance as a function of time for the particle?

a. Parabola opening upward Given two vectors and the angle between them, which of
b. Linear with positive slope the following concepts in trigonometry is useful to solve
c. Linear with negative slope for the third side of the triangle?
d. Parabola opening downward
a. Double angle identity
Which of the following feature of a speed function will b. Pythagorean theorem
correspond to the acceleration of an object? c. Law of sine
d. Law of cosines
a. none of the above
b. y-intercept A ball was tossed northward while the wind blows
c. Slope westward. If the effect of the wind onto the ball is not
d. x-intercept negligible, which of the following is likely to be the result in
the eyes of an observer at the origin?
Two objects are dropped from the same height at an
interval of 2.0 s. Through time, the difference in their a. Ball heads east instead
speeds is _____. b. Ball heads some angle east of north
c. Ball heads straight to the north
d. Ball heads some angle west of north
a. Increasing
b. Constant
c. decreasing Which of the following may yield a northward resultant
d. none of the above motion after a long time?

A ball rolls across a floor with an acceleration of 1.99 m/s2 a. Westward initial velocity, eastward acceleration
in a direction opposite to its velocity. The ball has a b. Southward initial velocity, northward
velocity of 7 m/s after rolling a distance 4.28 m across the acceleration
floor. What was the initial speed of the ball? c. Eastward initial velocity, westward acceleration
d. Northward initial velocity, southward
acceleration

Considering that the target lies on the same height, which

of the following is true about the final velocity of a
projectile (i.e. the moment it hits the target) as compared
to its initial velocity?

A truck accelerates uniformly along a straight portion of a. Same magnitude, different direction
the highway. The truck moves from 11.64 m/s to 13.06 m/s b. Same magnitude, same direction
in 48.18 s. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of c. Different magnitude, different direction
the truck in m/s2? d. Different magnitude, same direction
Sturzkampflugzeug or basically known as Stuka is one of A ball slides of a table with an initial horizontal velocity of
the feared planes of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, 1.47 m/s. It strikes the floor after 0.29 s. How far from the
during the Second World War. Suppose that during a edge of the table will the ball land? Express the answer in
mission, a strong wind blows to the northwest. But in the meters.
eyes of a ground commando, the plane was flying straight
to the north. Which of the following must have been the
resolution of the Stuka's pilot to make this happen.

a. He had the tail rudder parry the plane

northwest.
b. He had the tail rudder parry the plane northeast.
c. He had the tail rudder further lift the plane.
d. He had the tail rudder make the plane descend.
A ball slides of a table with an initial horizontal velocity of
1.01 m/s. It strikes the floor after 0.36 s. What is the height
In archery, you have to consider the effects of the of the table? Express the answer in meters.
gravitational force of the earth on the arrow. If we neglect
any air resistance, which of the following must be done in
order to hit the bull's eye?

a. Aim a bit higher than the bull's eye

b. None of the above
c. Aim right at the bull's eye
d. Aim a bit lower than the bull's eye

A zookeeper aims to deliver bananas to a monkey hanging

on a tree using a food gun. At the instance that the food
gun is fired, the monkey is caught in shock and lets go off A ball slides of a table with an initial horizontal velocity of
the tree branch and enters into free fall. In what direction 1.68 m/s. It strikes the floor after 0.29 s. How far from the
must the zookeeper aim in order that the food reaches the edge of the table will the ball land? Express the answer in
monkey while in air? meters.

a. Below the monkey

b. At the monkey
c. At the ground
d. Above the monkey

If the velocity of an object doubles which of the following

happens to its radial acceleration?

a. Quadruples
b. Doubles A ball slides of a table with an initial horizontal velocity of
c. Remains the same 1.58 m/s. It strikes the floor after 0.26 s. What is the height
d. Triples of the table? Express the answer in meters.

Two balls of the same mass are at the same height. The
first ball is released from rest and enters free fall. The
second ball has some horizontal initial velocity applied
onto it. Which of the following happens?

a. The second ball hits the ground first.

b. The first ball hits the ground first.
c. None of the above.
d. Both balls hit the ground at the same time.
LAWS OF MOTION - Equal magnitude, opposite direction
- Acts simultaneously
- Act on two different objects
Force - Acts in pairs
- A force is a push or pull Applying Newton’s Laws of Motion
- A force is an interaction between two objects
- A force is a vector quantity, with magnitude and Translational Equilibrium
direction
An object is said to be in translational equilibrium if and
Normal force (Fnorm) When an object rests or pushes on a only if there is no resultant force
surface, the surface exerts a push on it that is directed
perpendicular to the surface Σ𝐹𝑧 = 0 Σ𝐹𝑦 = 0

Tension force (Ftens) A pulling exerted on an object by a

rope, cord, etc.
Free body diagram
Friction force (Ffric) IN addition to the normal force, a
substance may exert a friction force on an object, directed ● An illustration that shows all the forces acting on
parallel to the surface the object
● Steps
Weight force (Fgrav) The pull of gravity on an object is a ○ Isolate point
long-range force (a force that acts over a distance) ○ Draw a cartesian plane
○ Draw vectors
○ Label components
Components of force ○ Show given information

● Choose a perpendicular x and y axes

● Fx and Fy are the component s of a force along
these axes
● Use trigonometry to find these force
components

Law of Inertia

Inertia - tendency of an object to retain its motion

“ A body at rest will remain at rest, a body in motion will

remain in motion at constant velocity , unless acted upon
by an external force.”

Law of Acceleration

“The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force

is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force,
in the same direction as the net force, and inversely
proportional to the mass of the object
Σ𝐹
a= 𝑚

Law of Interaction

“If there is an action there is an opposite but equal

reaction”