Chapter 1:

Units, Physical Quantities and Vectors

Cartesian Coordinate System
Polar Coordinate System

y
x = r cos  tan  =
x
y = r sin 
r= x +y
2 2
 Vector and Scalar Quantities

A scalar quantity is completely specified by a single

value with an appropriate unit and has no direction.

A vector quantity is completely specified by a number

with an appropriate unit (the magnitude of the vector)
plus a direction.
 Vector Notation
• When handwritten, use an arrow:

• When printed, will be in bold print with an

arrow:

• When dealing with just the magnitude of a

vector in print, an italic letter will be used: A
Displacement Vector
 Basic Vector Arithmetic
A = B only if A = B
Both point in the same direction along parallel lines
 Vector Addition

A + B = B + A ( commutative law of addition )

( ) ( )
A + B + C = A + B + C ( associative law of addition )
Vector Addition
 Negative Vectors

– The negative of the vector is defined as the vector

that gives zero when added to the original vector

– Two vectors are negative of each other if they

have the same magnitude but are 180° apart
(opposite directions)

–
Vector Subtraction and
Scalar Multiplication
( )
A − B = A + −B
Multiplying or Dividing a Vector
by a Scalar
 Example:
A Vacation Trip
A car travels 20.0 km due north and then 35.0 km in a
direction 60.0° west of north as shown in the figure.
Find the magnitude and direction of the car’s resultant
displacement.
 Example:
A Vacation Trip
 Example:
A Vacation Trip
Suppose the trip were taken with the two vectors in
reverse order: 35.0 km at 60.0° west of north first and
then 20.0 km due north. How would the magnitude and
the direction of the resultant vector change?

They would not change.

 Components of a Vector

Ax
cos  =  Ax = A cos  A= Ax 2 + Ay 2
A
Ay  Ay 
sin  =  Ay = A sin   = tan  
−1

A  Ax 
Components of a Vector
Unit Vectors
Components of a Vector
and Unit Vectors

A = Ax ˆi + Ay ˆj
Vector Addition using Components

( ) (
R = A + B = Ax ˆi + Ay ˆj + Bx ˆi + By ˆj )
R = ( Ax + Bx ) ˆi + ( Ay + By ) ˆj

R = Rx ˆi + Ry ˆj 
Rx = Ax + Bx
Ry = Ay + By
Vector Addition using Components
 Magnitude of a Vector

( Ax + Bx ) + ( Ay + By )
2
R = Rx + Ry =
2 2 2

Ry Ay + By
tan  = =
Rx Ax + Bx
Vectors in Three Dimensions
 Example:
The Sum of Two Vectors
Find the sum of two vectors A and B lying in the
xy plane and given by
( ) (
A = 2.0ˆi + 2.0ˆj and B = 2.0ˆi − 4.0ˆj )
A = Ax ˆi + Ay ˆj + Az kˆ

Ax = 2.0, Ay = 2.0, Az = 0

Bx = 2.0, By = −4.0, Bz = 0
 Example:
The Sum of Two Vectors
R = ( Ax + Bx ) ˆi + ( Ay + By ) ˆj
= ( 2.0 + 2.0 ) ˆi + ( 2.0 − 4.0 ) ˆj
= 4.0ˆi − 2.0ˆj

R = Rx + Ry = ( 4.0 ) + ( 2.0 )
2 2 2 2

= 20 = 4.5

Ry −2.0
tan  = = = −0.50 →  = 
Rx 4.0
 Example:
The Resultant Displacement
A particle undergoes three consecutive displacements:
( ) ( )
r1 = 15ˆi + 30ˆj + 12kˆ cm, r2 = 23ˆi − 14ˆj − 5.0kˆ cm,
( )
and r = −13ˆi + 15ˆj cm. Find unit-vector notation for
3

the resultant displacement and magnitude.

 Example:
The Resultant Displacement

r = r1 + r2 + r3

= (15 + 23 − 13) ˆi cm + ( 30 − 14 + 15 ) ˆj cm
+ (12 − 5.0 + 0 ) kˆ cm

(
= 25ˆi + 31ˆj + 7.0kˆ cm)
R = Rx + Ry + Rz
2 2 2

= ( 25 cm ) + ( 31 cm ) + ( 7.0 cm ) = 40 cm
2 2 2
 Example:
Taking a Hike
A hiker begins a trip by first walking 25.0 km southeast
from her car. She stops and sets up her tent for the night.
On the second day, she walks 40.0 km in a direction
60.0° north of east, at which point she discovers a forest
ranger’s tower.

(A) Determine the components

of the hiker’s displacement for
each day.
 Example:
Taking a Hike
 Example:
Taking a Hike
( B) Determine the components of the hiker's resultant
displacement R for the trip. Find an expression for R
in terms of unit vectors.
 Example:
Taking a Hike
After reaching the tower, the hiker wishes to return to
her car along a single straight line. What are the
components of the vector representing this hike?
What should the direction of the hike be?

(
R car = −R = −37.7ˆi − 17.0ˆj km )
Rcar,y −17.0 km
tan  = = = 0.450
Rcar,x −37.7 km

  = , or 24.2 south of west

 Problems

𝐀 = 29jƸ units

𝐀 + 𝐁 = −14jƸ units

𝐁 = −𝐀 + −14jƸ units

𝐁 = − 29jƸ units + −14jƸ units = −43jƸ units

 Problems

.
The angle counter-clockwise from the +x axis is
The Scalar Product of Two Vectors

A  B  AB cos 

AB = BA

( )
A  B + C = A B + A C
The Scalar Product of Two Vectors

ˆi  ˆi = ˆj  ˆj = kˆ  kˆ = 1

A = Ax ˆi + Ay ˆj + Az kˆ
B = Bx ˆi + By ˆj + Bz kˆ

A  B = Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz

A  A = Ax + Ay + Az = A
2 2 2 2
 Example:
The Scalar Product

The vectors A and B are given by

A = 2ˆi + 3ˆj and B = −ˆi + 2ˆj
( A ) Determine the scalar product A  B.

A  B = Ax Bx + Ay By = ( 2 )( −1) + ( 3)( 2 ) = 4
 Example:
The Scalar Product

( B ) Find the angle  between A and B.

AB 4 4
cos  = = =
AB 13 5 65
4
 = cos −1
= 60.3
65
 Problems
Find the scalar product of the vectors in the figure.

 = 270 – 132 – 118 = 20.0

θ
 The Vector Product

C = AB

C = AB sin 
The Vector Product
Properties of vector product:

A  B = −B  A
𝐀×𝐁=𝟎 𝐀∥𝐁  AA = 0

If A ⊥ B, then A  B = AB

( )
A B + C = AB + AC
 The Vector Product

ˆi  ˆi = ˆj  ˆj = kˆ  kˆ = 0
ˆi  ˆj = −ˆj  ˆi = kˆ
ˆj  kˆ = −kˆ  ˆj = ˆi

kˆ  ˆi = −ˆi  kˆ = ˆj

( )
A  −B = − A  B
 The Vector Product

ˆi ˆj kˆ
A  B = Ax Ay Az
Bx By Bz
Ay Az Az Ax ˆ Ax Ay
= ˆi + j+ kˆ
By Bz Bz Bx Bx By

A  B = ( Ay Bz − Az By ) ˆi + ( Az Bx − Ax Bz ) ˆj
+ ( Ax By − Ay Bx ) kˆ
 Example:
The Vector Product
Two vectors lying in the xy plane are given by the
equations A = 2ˆi + 3ˆj and B = −ˆi + 2ˆj. Find A  B and
verify that A  B = −B  A.
( ) (
A  B = 2ˆi + 3ˆj  −ˆi + 2ˆj )
AB = 2ˆi  ( −ˆi ) + 2ˆi  2ˆj + 3ˆj  ( −ˆi ) + 3ˆj  2ˆj
A  B = 0 + 4kˆ + 3kˆ + 0 = 7kˆ
( ) (
B  A = −ˆi + 2ˆj  2ˆi + 3ˆj )
( ) ( )
B  A = −ˆi  2ˆj + −ˆi  3ˆj + 2ˆj  2ˆi + 2ˆj  3ˆj
B  A = 0 − 3kˆ − 4kˆ + 0 = −7kˆ
 Example:
The Torque Vector

( )
A force of F = 2.00ˆi + 3.00ˆj N is applied to a
rigid object that is pivoted about a fixed axis aligned
along the z coordinate axis. The force is applied
( )
at a point located at r = 4.00ˆi + 5.00ˆj m relative to
the axis. Find the torque τ applied to the object.
 Example:
The Torque Vector

τ = rF
( ) (
=  4.00ˆi + 5.00ˆj m    2.00ˆi + 3.00ˆj N 
    )
τ = ( 4.00 )( 2.00 ) ˆi  ˆi + ( 4.00 )( 3.00 ) ˆi  ˆj
+ ( 5.00 )( 2.00 ) ˆj  ˆi + ( 5.00 )( 3.00 ) ˆj  ˆj N  m

τ = 0 + 12.0kˆ − 10.0kˆ + 0  N  m = 2.0kˆ N  m

 Problems

tan θ = 1