CHAPTER 2

VECTOR ANALYSIS

The more rigorous method for theoretical aspect of mechanics is using the vector
analysis. Vector Analysis is generally deals with free vectors so that two vectors are
said to be equal when they have the same magnitude and direction, whether or not they
have the same point of application.

2.1 VECTOR NOTATION

The distinction between Magnitude and Direction is achieved by a notation
which expresses a vector as the product of its Magnitude and its Unit Vector which
defines its direction.
Unit Vector then is defined as a vector of unit magnitude in a specified direction.
Vectors were defined as mathematical quantities possessing Magnitude and
Direction which added according to the Parallelogram Law.
Free Vector is one which is independent of the point of application of the vector
or which represents a quantity such as a couple has no particular point of application
hence may be freely removed in space, unless otherwise specified.
Thus, when using vector analysis, we denote a vector by printing or writing it in a
boldface type to distinguish it from its magnitude printed in italic type, for example F
represents a vector having a magnitude F and a specified direction or

F F 
Where:
F  represents a vector having a magnitude F and a specified direction 
F  magnitude (scalar quantity)
  unit vector
2.2 VECTORS USING RECTANGULAR COMPONENTS
Unit vector in rectangular components are denoted by small letter i, j, and k in x,
y, and z directions respectively.
Multiplying unit vector by a scalar denotes a vector having the direction of a unit
vector and a magnitude equal to that of the scalar.
 
The direction cosine in term of
x  cos x , y  cos y , z  cos z
direction cos ines

   x i   y j  z k
The scalar component of F
 x
F  F  i  j  k
y z 
F F ; F F ; F F
x x y y z z
Scalar components of F
  i j  k
x y z
F  F   vector in rectangular form
Where:
F  vector
F  scalar
  unit vector
  x2  y2 z2

 2 x2  y2 z2

but  2  1 unit vector

1= 2   2   2  a unit vector in the direction F

x y z
1cos cos cos
x y z
2.3 Vector addition using rectangular components

Two vectors A  Axi  Ay j  Az k and B=Bxi  By j  Bz k

C=A+B=  Ax i  Ay j  Az k    Bxi  By j  Bz k 
C=A+B  ( Ax  Bx )i  ( Ay  By ) j  ( Az  Bz )k
Which can be written as
Cx  Ax  Bx , C y  Ay  By , C z  Az  Bz

 C C x  C y  C z
2.4 Relative position Vector

AB  AB   xB  xA  i   yB  y A  j   z B  z A  k
AB  d   xB  x A   y B  y A   z B  z A 
2 2 2


AB  x  x A  i   yB  y A  j   z B  z A  k
 B
AB AB

x 
 xB  x A  ;    y B  y A  ;    z B  z A 
AB y
AB z
AB
Sample Problem 1. The cable attached to the eyebolt in Figure below is pulled with the force F
of magnitude 500 N. Determine the rectangular representation of this force.
Note: use point A as reference point.

Solution:

AB  6i  3 j  4k
AB  (6) 2  (3) 2  (4) 2
AB  36  9  16
AB  7.810
AB 6i  3 j  4k
 
AB 7.810
  0.768i  0.3842 j  0.5122k
F  500 N
F=F   500  0.768i  0.3842 j  0.5122k 
F  384i  192 j  256k  Ans.

Sample Problem 2. Referring to Figure below, determine (1) the rectangular

representation of the position vector A; and (2) the angles between A and each of the
positive coordinate axes.
Solution:
Ay  12 cos 300
Ay  10.39 N
Example 3. Determine the components of a force F = 300 lb. whose line of action is
directed from the point A (-2, 1, 3) toward point B (3, 5, -3) as shown in Figure below.

Solution:
F  F
AB  ( xB  xA )i  ( yB  y A ) j  ( z B  z A )k
AB  3  (2)  i   5  1 j   3  3 k
AB  5i  4 j  6k
AB  (5) 2  (4) 2  (6) 2
AB  25  16  36
AB  8.78
AB

AB
F  F

F  300
 5i  4 j  6k 
8.78
 5i   4j   6k 
F  300    300    300  
 8.78   8.78   8.78 
F  300(0.570)i  300(0.456) j  Fz (0.683)k
Fx  300((0.570)  171lb.  Ans.
Fy  300(0.456)  136.8lb.  Ans.
Fz  300(0.683)  204.9lb.  Ans.
Checking :
F  171i  136.8 j  204.9k
F  (171) 2  (136.8) 2  (204.9) 2
F  300lb.
Sample Problem 4. Find the resultant of the concurrent force system shown in
Figure below which consists of forces T = 300 lb., P = 200 lb., and F = 500 lb. directed
from D toward A, B, and C, respectively.
Solution:
 5   10 
T  T  300   i  300  j
DA  11.18   11.18 
T  134.17i  268.34 j
 5   10   3 
P=P  200   i  200   j  k
DB  11.57   11.57   11.57 
P  86.43i  172.86 j  51.86k
 5   8   4 
F=F   500   i  500   j  500  
DC  10.25   10.25   10.25 
F  243.90i  390.24 j  195.12k
R=T+P+F
R= 134.17i  268.34 j    86.43i  172.86 j  51.86k    243.90i  390.24 j  195.12k 
R= 134.17  86.43  243.90  i   268.34  172.86  390.24  j   51.86195.12  k
R=-196.16i-831.44j+143.26k
R= (-196.16) 2  (-831.44)2  (143.26)2
R=866.20lb.  Ans.
196.16
x  Cos 1
866.20
 x  76.910 

 y  16.290   Ans.

 z  80.480 
2.5 VECTOR MULTIPLICATION
2.5.1 Dot (Scalar) Product
The Dot product of A and B is defined as
A  B  ABcos (0   180 )
Dot Product is:
Positive if  90
Negative if 90
Zero if   90
Properties of Dot Product
The Dot Product is Commutative: A B  B A
 The Dot Product is Distributive: A B  C  AB  AC
The Dot Product of Vector
A  Axi  Ay j  Az k
B  Bxi  By j  Bz k
A  B   Axi  Ay j  Az k    Bxi  By j  Bz k 

A  B   Ax Bx   i  i    Ax By   i     Ax Bz   i  k    Ay Bx   j  i    Ay By   j  
1 0 0 0 1
j j

  Ay Bz   j  k    Az Bx   k  i    Az By   k     Az Bz   k  k 
0 0 0 1
j

but the base vector of a rectangular coordinate system is having the following identities
i i  k k  j  j 1
i j  jk  k i  0
A  B  A B  A B  A B  Rectangular Form
x x y y z z
Finding the angle between two vectors

A•B A B
cos   •
AB A B
A B
 = A and  = B  unit vectors that have the same directions as A and B
Let A B

Cos =A    an angle between the two vectors

B
 Determining the Orthogonal Component of a vector in a given
direction

A  B  A  B cos
A
B cos  A  B  B 
A A
A
let  
A
A
B cos  B    the projected length B cos is called the
A

orthogonal component of B in the direction of A

In word, the orthogonal component of B in the direction of A equals
B•λ A .

2.5.2 CROSS (VECTOR) PRODUCT

The cross Product C of two vectors A and B, denoted by
C=AxB
Has the following characteristics
 1 The magnitude of C  ABsin

Where  (0    1800 ) is the angle between the positive directions of A and B.

(Note: that C is always a positive number)
(2) C is perpendicular (  90 ) to both A and B, then C  AB; and if A and B
are parallel ( =00 or 1800 ), then C=0
(3) The sense of C is determined by the right-hand rule which states that when the
fingers of your right hand are curled in the direction of the angle 
(directed from A toward B), your thumb points in the direction of C

The following properties of the cross product

(1) The Cross product is distributive; that is,
Ax(B+C)=(AxB)+(AxC)
(2) The Cross Product is Neither associative nor commutative, In other
words,
Ax(BxC)  (AxB)xC
(AxB) BxA
THE CROSS PRODUCT OF TWO VECTORS

A=A x i+A y j+A z k, and B=Bx i+By j+Bz k

C=  A x i+A y j+A z k  x  Bx i+By j+Bz k 
C   A x  Bx  i.i 
C   Axi  Ay j  Az k  x  Bxi  By j  Bz k 

C   Ax Bx   i  i    Ax By   i    Ay Bx   j  i    Ay By   j 
j k
   Ax Bz   i  k  
0 k 0
j j

  Ay Bz   j  k    Az Bx   k  i    Az By   k 
i
   Az Bz   k  k 
i j 0
j

but the base vector of a rectangular coordinate system is having the following identities
i •i  0 j • i  k k •i  j
i• j  k j• j 0 k • j  i
i•k   j j•k  i k •k  0
  x y
x z 
C   A B  k  A B j   A B  k   Ay Bz  i   Az Bx  j   Az Byi 
 y x

 x z  x y

AxB   Ay Bz  Az By  i  Az Bx  A B j   A B  A B  k  Rectangular Form
y x

Alternative Solution:

i j k
AxB= Ax Ay Az
Bx By Bz
i j k i j
AxB= Ax Ay Az Ax Ay  ( Ax Bz )i  ( Az Bx ) j  ( Ax By )k  ( Ay Bx )k  ( Az B y )i  ( Ax Bz ) j
Bx By Bz Bx By
AxB=( Ay Bz  Az By )i  ( Az Bx  Ax Bz ) j  ( Ax By  Ay Bx )k

2.5.3 SCALAR TRIPLE PRODUCT

Scalar triple product arises when the cross product of two vectors is
dotted with third vector e. g. A x B.C
The cross product must be done first, otherwise the expression is
meaningless.
AxB•C=  Ay Bz  Az By  i   Az Bx  Ax Bz  j   Ax By  Ay Bx  k   C xi  C y j  C z k 
Or
Ax Ay Az
AxB•C= Bx By Bz
Cx Cy Cz
 THE FOLLOWING IDENTITIES
AxB•C=A•BxC=B•CxA=A•CxB
Sample Problem 1: Given the vectors
A  (8i  4 j  2k ) N
B  (2 j  6k )m
C  (3i  2 j  4k )m
Calculate the following:
(1) A  B
(2) The orthogonal component of B in the direction of C
(3) The angle between A and C
(4) AxB
(5) A unit vector  that is  to both A and B
(6) AxB  C
Solution:
(1) A  B=A x B x  A y B y  A z B z
A  B  (8)(0)  4(2)  (2)(6)
A  B  4 N .m  Ans.
(2) Bcos =B  C
C
but λ C 
C
Bcos =B  C
(3i  2 j  4k )
Bcos =(2j+6k) 
(3) 2  (2) 2  (4) 2
0(3)  2(2)  6(4)
Bcos =
29
Bcos =3.71m  Ans.
 (3) cos =A  C
A C
but λ A  ; λC =
A C
(8i  4 j  2k ) (3i  2 j  4k )
cos = 
82  42  (2) 2 (3) 2  (2) 2  (4) 2
8(3)  4(2)  2(4)
cos =
 84  29 
cos =0.16209
 =80.70
(4) AxB
i j k i j
AxB  8 4 2 8 4  24i  16k  4i  48 j
0 2 6 0 2
AxB   28i  48 j  16k  N .m  Ans.
(5) AxB  to both A and B from 4
AxB

 28i  48 j  16k   28i  48 j  16k
AxB (28) 2  (48) 2  (16) 2 3,344
AxB
 0.484i  0.830 j  0.277k  Ans.
AxB
(6) AxB  C
Ax Ay Az 8 4 2 8 4
AxB  C  Bx By Bz  0 2 6 0 2  64  72  12  96
Cx Cy Cz 3 2 4 3 2
AxB  C  244 N  Ans.
Alternative Solution from 4
AxB  28i  48 j  16k
C  3i  2 j  4k
AxB  C   28i  48 j  16k    3i  2 j  4k 
AxB  C  28(3)  48(2)  16(4)
AxB  C  244 N  Ans.

Example 2. In the tripod shown in Figure below, forces F and P act as

shown along the legs DC and DB. In terms of its force multiplier (Fm),
determine the component of F along the direction of P and also the angle
between F and P. Note that the points B and C are in the same vertical
plane and that C is located 2ft. above the horizontal plane containing B and
A.

Solution:

The components of F and P, acting as shown, have been expressed

as the product of their respective force multipliers and the components of
the distances traveled in moving along the coordinate directions from D to
C and from D to B.
FF  5i  8 j  4k  ;
m
F=Fm 105
P  Pm  5i  10 j  3k  ; P=Pm 134
The component FDB of F along the direction of DB (i.e., along P) may
now be found by applying the rule of dot product of the vector that said, that
the component of a vector in any direction is the dot product of the vector
with a unit vector in the desired direction. He unit vector
λ P along the P being
P 1
λP    5i  10 j  3k 
P 134
1
the component FDB  Fm  5i  8 j  4k    5i  10 j  3k 
134
whence, summing the algebraic product of the scalar corfficient of i, j, and k as in
A  B=A x B x  A y B y  A z B z , we obtain
Fm 93
FDB   25  80  12   Fm  Ans.
134 134
 The positive value of this result indicates that the component of f
upon P acts in the direction of P ; i.e., from D to B.
By reapplying the definition of F  , we may also use the preceding
P
result to find the angle between F and P. Thus,
93
 F cos   F  P  Fm 105 cos   Fm
134
whence
93
cos =  0.785;  =32.20  Ans.
134

2.5.4 PRINCIPLE OF MOMENTS AND MOMENT OF FORCES

The moment of any force (or more generally, of any vector) about a point is defined
as the product of the magnitude of the force by the perpendicular distance from
the point to the action line of the force. This perpendicular distance is called
moment arm. Here we introduce the tendency of a force to rotate a body, called
the moment of a force about a point. This rotational effect depends on the
magnitude of the force and the distance between the point and the line of action of
the force. The tendency of a force to rotate a body about an axis, called the
moment of a force about an axis. Whence the magnitude of the moment of a force
F about a center O is expressed by

Let F be a force and O a point that is not on the line of action of F. We let A be
any point on the line of action of F and define r to be the vector from point O to
point A

The moment of the force F about point O, called moment center, is defined
as
M O = r x F (in N.m)the moment F about a point
is a vector by definition. From the properties of the
cross product of two vectors, M Ois perpendicular to
both r and F. In other words, the moment of a force
about a point can always be computed using the cross
product. However, a scalar computation of the magnitude
of the moment can be obtained from the geometric interpretation
of the given figure above, and this is given by
M O = M O = r x F =rFsin
in which  is the angle between r and F
d
sin = or r sin =d
r
M O =rsin F
M O =Fd magnitude of M O in scalar form.
where d is the perpendicular distance from the moment
to the line of action of the force F called the moment arm
of the force.