VectorAlgebraNotes:

AddingVectors&FindingComponents
Section1)DefinitionofVectors:

Readsection2.6"SomeVectorAlgebra"(allreferencesaretoHecht2ndedition)
Do213M,271P

Quantities that need to be represented by magnitude (size) and

direction are called "vectors" (e.g. displacement, velocity,
acceleration and force). In printed text, vectors are usually
representedbylettersinboldfont(V).Theycanalsoberepresented
with"tildes","hats"or"arrows"aboveorbelowtheletter;
(e.g.V,V,V,V,VorV).
Inthisdocument,wewilluseexamplesofsomeofthesenotations.
Themagnitudeofavectorisusuallyrepresentedbyunboldeditalic
text(e.g.V).Vectorscanberepresentedindiagramsbyarrows.The
length of the arrow represents the vector's magnitude, and the
directionthearrowpointsrepresentsthevector'sdirection.

Usually,thedirectionisexpressedasanangletoaknowndirection
(e.g.horizontal).

The position ofthevectoronthepageisirrelevant(unlessweare

consideringtorque)andsothearrowrepresentingitcanbemovedto
anywhereonthepage andit'sstillthesamevectoraslongasthe
lengthanddirectiondon'tchange.

Every vector (Vin this example) can be thought of as being the

resultant sum of separate vector components, each one parallel to

eachof thethreecoordinate axes: x,y and z. Herewe willonly
considerthexandycomponents,VxandVy.
Remember that when finding components, the original vector is
always the hypotenuse of a rightangle triangle and the x and y
componentsmustbeheadtotail.
Rememberthatsometimesthesecomponentscanbenegativeasis
Vyisinthisexample(ifwedefine"up"tobe+ve).Don'tforgetto
note carefully which angle in your triangle you will use in your
trigonometrycalculation.

Section2)Addingvectors:

Readsection2.8"ComponentsandVectorAddition"
Do261P,267P,283P,285P,298P

Method1:AddingVectorsGeometrically
Thegeometricalmethodofaddingvectorsismostsuitableforadding
2vectors.Intheoryitworkswhenadding3ormorevectorsbutcan
becomemessy.
To add two vectors geometrically, you must arrange the arrows
representingthetwovectorssothattheyarejoinedtogether"headto
tail",butwithoutchangingtheirlengthsordirections.
The sum or "resultant" of the two
vectors is generated by drawing an
arrowthatstartsatthebeginning(tail)
ofthefirstvectorandendsattheend
(head)ofthesecond.Itdoesnotmatter
inwhatordertheoriginaltwovectors
areeitherwaytheresultantwillhave
thesamemagnitudeanddirection.

Onemustusetrigonometry(sin,cos&tanetc.)tofindthemagnitude
oftheresultant(orPythagoras'theoremifoneoftheanglesis90)
andtheangleoftheresultanttoaknowndirection(e.g.horizontal).
Ifyouattempttoaddmorethan2vectorsbythismethod,theresultis
no longer a triangle and so the trigonometry becomes more
complicated,soavoidthis.Itisstillcorrect,buthardertodo.

Anexceptionisifthe3vectorsrepresenttheforcesonanobject"in
equilibrium"(i.e.nonetforce). Inthiscase,theresultantforce=0,
thereforethe3vectorsformaclosedloopwhichofcoursewillbea
triangleandsoyoucanusenormaltrigonometrytoaddthemup.

Method2:Addingx&yComponentsSeparately
Thismethodisthebestoneforadding3ormorevectors.Ofcourseit
alsoworksfor2vectors.
(For revision on how to find
components ofvectors, readSection3
ofthisdocumentfirst)

Example;Findtheresultant(net)forceofalltheforcesactingona
blockofweightW,beingpulledbyastringwithtensionTat20to
thehorizontal.
Chooseasignconvention.(e.g.chooseuptobe+veandrighttobe
+ve.)
(Note;wecannotassume |N|=|W| becausethereisalsoavertical
componentofThereandthequestiondoesn'tevensayiftheobject
isinequilibrium.)
Considervertical(y)componentsfirst:
ycomponentofN(orNy);

Ny=+N

ycomponentofW(orWy);

Wy=W

ycomponentofT(orTy);

Ty=+Tsin20

Fy(net)=Ny+Wy+Ty=NW+Tsin20
Nowconsiderhorizontal(x)components:
xcomponentofN(Nx);

Nx=0

xcomponentofW(Wx);

Wx=0

xcomponentofT(Tx);

Tx=+Tcos20

Fx(net)=Nx+Wx+Tx=0+0+Tcos20=Tcos20
Finally,usingPythagoras'theorem,addtheverticalandhorizontal
componentstofindFnet:

Substituteinthedatasuppliedwiththeproblem,calculateFxandFy
thenusePythagoras'theoremtocalculatethemagnitudeofFnet.
Thedirection ofthe netforce isgivenbytan = Fy/Fx. Don't
assumethatisequaltotheangleofthestringtothehorizontal(20).
Thesamemethodworksevenifyouusearotatedsetofcoordinate
axessuchthatthenowrotatedXaxisisparalleltoanotherdirection,
suchasaninclinedplane.Seethesectionbelowcalled"Situation2:
Xaxisisrotatedfromhorizontal"foranexplanation.
Note:VectorSubtraction;V1V2isthesameasaddingV1+(V2).
Thevector(V2)isthesameasthevectorV2exceptthatthearrowis
pointingintheoppositedirection.

Section3)FindingComponentsofVectors:
Situation1;xaxisishorizontal
Findvertical(orx)andhorizontal(ory)componentsofvectorF.

y
x
coordinateaxes

horizontaldirection

Step1)drawthevector,notinganyanglesgiveninproblem
Step2)drawinavertical(orxcomponent)andahorizontalvector(or
y component)whichadduptotheoriginalvectorNOTE:original
vectorisALWAYShypotenuse.

Step3)findFv&Fhusingtrigonometry.
Notes:
Theverticalcomponentofahorizontalvectorisalwayszero(andviceversa)
Thetwodirectionschosenforresolvingcomponentsdon'thavetobe"x"and"y". You
couldalsouseothersetsofperpendiculardirectionssuchas"northerly"and"easterly".

Situation2;Xaxisisrotatedfromhorizontal
Findthecomponentsofvector F relativetoanarbitrarydirection,
(calledforexample"d").Forexample,dmightbealonganinclined
plane.

Step1)drawcoordinateaxes,rotatedsothenew"X"axisisparallel
totherequireddirection"d". I'veusedcapitalXandYtoavoid
confusionwiththenormalunrotatedxandyaxes.
(YoucanalsocallY,the"perpendicular"componentandX,the"parallel"componentto

theinclinedplane)

Step 2) draw vector F and the required direction "d", noting any
anglesgiveninproblem.Be
Step3)drawintwovectors(theXandYcomponents)whichaddup
tooriginalvector,theXcomponentlyingparalleltothedirection"d"
andtheother,theYcomponent,perpendicularto"d"
NOTE:originalvectorFisALWAYSthehypotenuse.
Step4)findFXandFYusingtrigonometry

10

Notes:
BecauseFisthehypotenuse,ANYcomponentofFinanydirectionshouldalwaysbeless
thanorequaltoFinmagnitude.
Thecomponentofanyforceinadirectionperpendiculartothatforceisalwayszero,e.g.
theXcomponentofaforceactingintheYdirectionisequalto0.
Thecomponentofanyforceinadirectionparalleltothatforceisalwaysjusttheforce
itself,e.g.theXcomponentofaforceFactingintheXdirectionisequaltoF.

11

ExampleofFindingComponents;
a) A10.0kgblockisslidingdownafrictionlessinclinedplane10to
horizontal. Find the components of weight parallel and
perpendiculartotheplane.
b) Findtheaccelerationoftheblock.
c) Whatisthemagnitudeofnormalforceexertedbytheplaneonto
theblock?

a) Componentofweightparalleltotheplane(Xcomponent)is;
mgsin10=10.0 9.81 0.174=17.0N

alongtheslope,downwards

Componentofweightperpendiculartotheplane(Ycomponent)is;
mgcos10=10.0 9.81 0.985=96.6N

perpendiculartotheslope,downwards

b) Nofriction onlyforceactingalongslopeisXcomponentof
weightFX=maXaX=FX/m=mgsin10/m=1.70ms2
downtheslope

c) Asin ALL casesofslidingmotionalongaslope,thereisnonet

forceperpendicular(i.e.Ydirection)totheslope(noYmotion
noaccelerationperpendiculartotheslope).Thereforeallforcesin
theperpendiculardirectionarebalanced. Theonlyforcesinthis

12

direction are normal force N and perpendicular component of

weight,mgcos10.Takeuptobe+ve.
FY=0=Nmgcos10N=mgcos10=96.6N

13