PHYSICAL

QUANTITIES
DR ROSNAH BINTI ZAKARIA
JAB. FIZIK DAN BAHAN
FAKULTI SAINS GUNAAN, UiTM, SHAH ALAM
TEL (HP): 0193318093
TEL (O): 03-5544 4492
EMEL: [email protected]
ALT EMEL: [email protected]
Learning Outcomes
 VECTORS

• Physical quantities could be categorized to:

i. scalar
ii. Vectors
• Scalars – quantities with magnitude or size only for
example length, volume, mass, speed etc
- mass of a box of oranges is 20 kg
- the fuel tank has a volume of 40 cm3
20 kg, 40 cm3 are the magnitudes of the quantities mass
and volume respectively
Magnitudes of the scalars can be easily added or
subtracted
For example, two boxes of oranges will be 20 kg + 20 kg
= 40 kg
 VECTORS
• Vectors – quantities with magnitude and
directions
Examples, velocity, force, momentum etc
The plane is flying with a velocity of 20 km.hr-1
North-East
The force acting on the body is 200 N to the left
• Vector are usually written with their magnitude
and directions
• In the above example the words in italics are
the directions
 VECTORS
• Symbols are used to represent physical quantities
For example, mass represented by m, distance by x,
volume by V etc
To differentiate scalars from vectors, slightly different
symbols used
• Examples of quantities and symbols used,

QUANTITIES SYMBOLS WRITTEN AS


Velocity v v or v

Force F F or F

acceleration a a or a
 VECTORS

• Vectors would be written as below:

– Velocity, v= 120 ms-1, East
– Force, F = 100 N,  30 o
– Acceleration, a = 20 ms-2, bearing 120o
– Force, F = 50 N, N 20o W
 VECTORS
• Vector representation – represented on paper with an arrowed
straight line
• Magnitude represented by the length of the line (scaled)
• Direction represented by the angle and arrow
• Example: F = 100 N, East, v = 20 ms-1,  30 0

F = 100 N

v = 20 ms-1

30 0
 VECTORS

• Equality of vectors – two vectors A and B are said to

be equal if
i. magnitude of A = magnitude of B
AB
A = B
ii. A and B are parallel or in the same direction.

A B A B A B

AB AB
A=B
Different directions Different magnitudes
 VECTORS

• Addition of vectors – when two or more vectors are

added they will produce a new vector, for example
• C=A+B
• C is called the resultant vector
• All vectors involved in the addition must be of the same
unit, that is, one cannot add velocity vector to a force
vector.
• Cannot add magnitudes of vectors arithmetically unless
they are in the same direction
• Commutative law of addition: A + B = B + A
• Methods of addition (considering only two vectors)
• geometric method
• analytical method
 VECTORS

• Geometrical method:
• i. triangle method ii. Parallelogram method
• Triangle method: draw first vector, then draw the
second vector with its tail starting from the tip of first
vector, the resultant vector will be from tail of first vector
to the tip of the second vector.

C
A B

C=A+B
 VECTORS

• Parallelogram method: the two vectors are joined at

the tails, the resultant is the diagonal of a parallelogram
formed with the two vectors.

B
A

A C

B
C=A+B
 Figure 3-6
Vector Addition by two different methods, (a) and (b).
Part (c) is incorrect.
Fig. 3.9, p.62
Fig. 3.8, p.62
Fig. 3.10, p.62
 VECTORS
• Analytical method: uses law of cosine and sine for a
triangle.
• Suppose A + B = C
• Hence the magnitude of C can be calculated,

C 

 B

A
C 2  A 2  B 2  2AB cos  and
B C A
 
sin sin  sin 
 VECTORS

• Component of vectors: Vectors can be described by its

components
• Consider horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components
• A vector A can be written as A = Ax + Ay

A Ay – vertical component
or y-component

Ax- horizontal component

or x - component
Fig. 3.14, p.65
Fig. 3.15, p.66
 VECTORS

• The magnitude of the horizontal and vertical component

can be obtained using Law of right-angled triangle, that is

F
Fy= Fsin θ

θ
Fx= Fcos θ
 
• Hence vector F can be written as F  F cos ,  F sin ,
• Where the arrows indicate the direction of the component
vector
Addition of Vectors – Graphical
Methods – 1 Dimension

21
Addition of Vectors- Graphical Method
– 2 Dimensions

22
Adding Vectors by Components
– Resolving Vectors

23
 Two ways to specify a
vector
• 1. Give its componens,
Vx and Vy
• 2. Give its magnitud V
and angle  it makes with
positive x – axis
• We can shift from one
description to the other
by using theorem of
Pythagoras and definition
of tangent
24
Resolving a vector = finding
components of a vector

25
Adding Vectors by Components

If the components are

perpendicular, they can be
found using trigonometric
functions.
 Adding Vectors by
Components

Mail carrier’s displacement.

A rural mail carrier leaves the post
office and drives 22.0 km in a
northerly direction. She then
drives in a direction 60.0° south of
east for 47.0 km. What is her
displacement from the post office?
 VECTORS

• Unit vector of a vector:

• Written as v̂
vector
• Defined as Unit vector of a vector 
magnitude of vector
v
v̂ 
v

• Example: given a vector v = 10 ms-1, East

10 ms -1 , East
• Therefore, unit vector, v̂ 
10
 1 ms -1 , East

• A unit vector is a vector with magnitude equal to 1

 VECTORS
• Writing vectors in the i , j , k form
• Let i be the unit vector in the x direction, j be the unit
vector in the y direction, and k be the unit vector in the z
direction.

1
j
i
k 1
1 x

z
Fig. 3.16a, p.66
 VECTORS

• A vector can be written in the unit vector notation, for

example:
• Suppose A is a velocity vector = 20 ms-1, in the x-
direction
• Hence A can be written as A = 20 i ms-1
• Let B be force vector, B = 40 N, 30o from the horizontal.
• How do you write B in terms of i and j

30o
 VECTORS

• The vector B = 40 N, 30o from the horizontal can be

written in i and j form.
• Calculate the x-component and y-component of B
• x-component = 40 cos 30 = 34.64 N
• y-component = 40 sin 30 = 20 N
• Hence B = (34.64 i + 20 j ) N

B
20 j

34.64 i
 VECTORS
• Figure 1 : A = 5 i + 6 j + 5 k

5k
6j
A
5i
5

5
 VECTORS
• Addition of vectors using unit vectors
• Suppose given three vectors,
• P = 60 N, 60o from horizontal : Q = 40 N, N 40o W :
and R = 20 N, W 20o S
• Find S = P + Q + R
• P, Q and R can be written in i, j, k
• P = 60 cos 60 i + 60 sin 60 j = 30 i + 51.96 j
• Q = - 40 sin 40 i + 40 cos 40 j = - 25.71 i + 30.64 j
• R = - 20 cos 20 i - 20 sin 20 j = - 18.79 i – 6.84 j

40o 20o
Q R
60o
 VECTORS
• P = 30 i + 51.96 j
• Q = - 25.71 i + 30.64 j
• R = - 18.79 i – 6.84 j
• Hence S = (30 i + 51.96 j) + (-25.71 i +30.64 j) +
(-18.79 i - 6.84 j)
• S = (30–25.71–18.79) i + (51.96+30.64–6.84) j
• S = -14.5 i + 75.76 j

- 25.71 i
- 18.79 i
P
51.96 j Q 30.64 j - 6.84 j
R

30 i
 VECTORS

• S = -14.5 i + 75.76 j

- 25.71 i
- 18.79 i
- 6.84 j
R
30.64 j
Q

75.76 j S
P
51.96 j

30 i
- 14.5 i
 VECTORS
• Multiplication of vectors:
• Dot product & cross product of two vectors.
• Dot Product:
• Given two vectors P = 60 N, N 60o E = 60 cos 30 i + 60
sin 30 j = 51.96 i + 30 j
• And Q = 5 m, N 20o E = 5 cos 70 i + 5 sin 70 j =
1.71 i + 4.70 j

P
Q

70o
30
o
 VECTORS
• P = 60 N, N 60o E
= 51.96 i + 30 j
• Q = 5 m, N 20o E
= 1.71 i + 4.70 j
• The dot product, P.Q = PQ cos θ where θ = angle
between the two vectors
• Hence P.Q = 60 N(5 m).cos 40o = 229.81 Nm or
• P.Q = (51.96 i + 30 j).(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
• = (51.96)(1.71)i.i + (51.96)(4.7)i.j + (30)(1.71)j.i +
(30)(4.7)j.j

P
Q
40o
 VECTORS
• Dot product of the unit vectors:
• i.i = 1.1cos 0o = 1
• j.j = 1.1cos 0o = 1
• k.k = 1.1cos 0o = 1 but
• i.j = j.i = 1.1 cos 90o = 0
• j.k = k.j = 1.1 cos 90o = 0
• k.i = i.k = 1.1 cos 90o = 0

i.i
j.j k.k

k.i
j.k
i.j
 VECTORS
• P.Q = 60 N(5 m) cos 40o = 229.81 Nm or
• P.Q = (51.96 i + 30 j).(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
• = (51.96)(1.71)i.i + (51.96)(4.7)i.j
+ (30)(1.71)j.i + (30)
(4.7)j.j
• = 88.85(1) + 244.21(0) + 51.3(0) +
141(1)
• = 229.85 Nm
• Result of a dot product is a scalar
 VECTORS
• Cross product:
• Defined as PXQ = P.Q sin θ n , n = unit
vector
• Result of a cross product is a vector
• (P.Q sin θ) is the magnitude of cross product
• Hence PxQ = (51.96 i + 30 j)x(1.71 i +
4.70 j)
• = (51.96)(1.71)ixi +
(51.96)(4.7)ixj +
(30)(1.71)jxi +
(30)(4.7)jxj
 VECTORS
• cross product of the unit vectors:
• ixi = 1.1sin 0o = 0
• jxj = 1.1sin 0o = 0
• kxk = 1.1sin 0o = 0 but
• ixj = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1k = k Direction of the unit
• jxi = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1(-k) = -k vector, n is
determine by using
• jxk = 1.1 sin 90o n = 1(i) = i the right hand grip
• kxj = 1.1 sin 90o n = -i thumb rule
• kxi = 1.1 sin 90o n = j
• ixk = 1.1 sin 90o n = -j

ixj jxk

kxi
 VECTORS
• Hence PxQ = (51.96 i + 30 j)x(1.71 i + 4.70 j)
• = (51.96)(1.71)ixi + (51.96)(4.7)ixj +
(30)(1.71)jxi + (30)(4.7)jxj
• = 88.85(0) + 244.21(k) + 51.3(-k) + 141(0)
• = (192.91 k) Nm
• Resultant of cross product PxQ has magnitude 192.91 Nm
in the k direction.
• Examples of dot product : Work = F.s
• Examples of cross product : Torque = rxF
Open Question & Answer Session