Phy 211 General Physics I PCC物理211普通物理I PCC.pptVIP

Phy 211: General Physics I Chapter 3: Vectors Lecture Notes Vectors Scalars Most physical quantities can categorized as one of 2 types (tensors notwithstanding): Scalar Quantities: described by a single number a unit (s). Example: the length of the driveway is 3.5 m Vectors Quantities: described by a value (magnitude) direction. Example: the wind is blowing 20 m/s due north Vectors are represented by an arrow, where: the length of the arrow is proportional to the magnitude of the vector. The direction of the arrow represents the direction of the vector Properties of Vectors Only vectors of the same kind can be added together 2 or more vectors can be added together to obtain a “resultant” vector The “resultant” vector represents the combined effects of multiple vectors acting on the same object/system Direction as well as magnitude must be taken into account when adding vectors When vectors are co-linear they can be added like scalars Trigonometry Review(remember: SOHCAHTOA) The relationships between the sides and angles of right triangles are well defined Consider the following right triangle: Three primary “trig” relations (relative to f): Sine of f: sin f = opposite/hypotenuse = A/C Cosine of f: cos f = adjacent/hypotenuse = B/C Tangent of f: tan f = opposite/adjacent = A/B Adding Vectors ( ┴ or otherwise) A. Graphic Method To add 2 vectors, place them tail-to-head, without changing their direction; the sum (resultant) is the vector obtained by connecting the tail of the first vector with the head of the second vector means “the vector R is the sum of vectors A and B” Note: , the magnitude of the vector R is NOT necessarily equal to the sum of the magnitudes of vectors A and B. In general: Other Notes: For co-linear vectors pointing in the same direction, For co-linear vectors pointing in opposite directions, Vector Addition (cont.) B. Component Method Express each v