Motion in a plane Flashcards
What is a vector?
A vector has both direction & magnitude (sometimes drawn with a arrow above it)
What is a scalar?
Only containes magnitude no direction
Absolute value bars are also used to stand for the magnitude of a vector (scalar) so scalras can’t be ________ only positive or zero
Negative
When doing vector addition or adding with vectors a plus sign between two vectors quantities indicates __________ & an equal sign between two vectors quantities means that the vector are identical in magnitude & direction
Vector addition
What is a resultant
A resultant is the sum of two or more vectors
When adding vectors draw your first arrow & then draw your second arrow by placing the ______ of the 2nd arrow at the tip of the first one after that draw an arrow starting from the tail of the first arrow & ending at the tip of the 2nd arrow (this is the resultant arrow)
Tail
To add more than 2 vectors just keep drawing the arrow ____________ & the sum is the resultant
Tip to tail
Vector subtraction
To subtract a vector you have to add its opposite (a vector with the same magnitude but opposite direction)
When delta is used with a vector quantity its always represents _____________
Vector subtraction
Any direction in the __________ plane can be specified by giving an angle with respect to north, south, east, or west
Horizontal
Displaceent is a ___________
Vector
What is successive displacement?
The total displacement for a trip with several parts is the vector sum of the displacement for each part of the trip
Position vectors are subtracted to find the __________ & successive displacement are added to find the total displacement
Displacement
The x- component of a position vector or any vector is the _____________
x-coordinate
The sign of the components indicated the _________, if position then in positive direction x direction & negative the in the negative x - direction
direction
What does it mean when said resolving the vector into components
Is the process of finding the components of a vector
Before resolivng a vector into components you must choose a _____________ system
Coordinate system (the direction of x & y axes)
What are the steps for finding the x & y components of a vector from its magntitude & direction?
- Draw a right triangle with the vector resultant as the hypotanue & the other two sides (the components) parallel to the x & y-axes
- Determine one of the unknown angles in the triangle
- Use trig functions such as sin, cos, tangent, etc to find the magnitude of the compound (degree mode for angle in degree & radian mode for angle in radians)
- Determine the correct algebraic sign for each compound
What are the steps for finding the magntiude & direction of a vector from its x & y components?
- Sketch the vector on a set of x & y axes in the correct quadrant, according to the signs of the components
- Draw a right triangle with the resultant as the hypotenuse & the other two sides parallel to the x & y axes
- In the right triangle, decide which of the unknown angles you want to determine
- Use inverse tangent function to find the angle
- Interpert the angle & specify whether it is the angle below the horizontal or the angle west of south or the angle clockwise form the negative y-axes, etc
- Use the Pythagorean theorem to fin the magnitude of the vector
When adding vectors can add the each components ___________ to find the sum of each components
separately (can add the x compnetns together to get the x component sum & can do the same for y component)
What are the steps used for adding vectors using components?
- Find the x & y axis components of each vector to be added
- Add the x components (with their sign) of the vectors to find the x- component of the sum (if the sign are wrong then your answer will be wrong)
- Add the y component (with their sign) of the vector to find the y component of the sign
- If needed use the x & y componts of the sum to find the magnitude & direction of the sum
