4.1 Scalars & Vectors Flashcards
What is a scalar quantity?
only has a magnitude
What is a vector quantity?
has direction and magnitude
What is distance
- scalar quantity
- describes how far an object has travelled overall
- doesn’t take into account the direction it has travelled in
What is displacement
- vector quantity
- describes how far an object is from where it started and in what direction
What are the 5 most common vector quantities?
- displacement
- velocity
- acceleration
- force
- momentum
How are vectors represented?
- by an arrow indicating the direction of the vector
- the length of the arrow represents the magnitude
How can vectors be combined
by adding them to produce the resultant vector
What is a resolving vector
opposite of adding vectors
What does it mean for a single resultant vector to be resolved?
it can be represented by 2 vectors which in combination have the same effect as the original one
How are resolving vectors used on an inclined plane
- component forces are parallel or perpendicular to the slope
- the weight of the object is vertically downwards
- the norms or reaction for is vertically up from the object
How can the Weight vector be split up?
- Wcos(θ)is perpendicular to the slope
- Wsin(θ) parallel to the slope
When does the object move down the slope?
- if there is no friction the force parallel to the slope causes the object to move down the slop
- if the object is not moving perpendicular to the slope, the normal force R = Wcosθ
What are coplanar forces?
forces acting on the same plane
How are coplanar forces represented?
by vector traingles
When are forces in equilibrium?
- at rest
- moving at a constant velocity
