5 Displacement and Force in Two Dimensions

BIGIDEA
Write the Big Idea for this chapter.

Forces in two dimensions can be described using vector addition and vector resolution.

Use the “What I Know” column to list the things you know about the Big Idea. Then list the
questions you have about the Big Idea in the “What I Want to Find Out” column. As you read the
chapter, fill in the “What I Learned” column.

K W L
What I Know What I Want to Find Out What I Learned
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5 Displacement and Force in Two Dimensions
1 Vectors
MAINIDEA
Write the Main Idea for this section.

All vectors can be broken into x- and y-components.

REVIEW VOCABULARY Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
vector vector a quantity that has magnitude and direction

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to fill in the term that matches each definition.
components projections of a vector parallel to the x-axis and to the y-axis
vector resolution process of breaking a vector into its components

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 1 Vectors (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 122–124 Write two bullet points about vectors in two dimensions.

• The resultant vector always points from the tail of the first vector to

the tip of the final vector.

• You can use trigonometry to determine the length and the direction

of resultant vectors.

GET IT? Describe the process of graphically adding vectors using a

protractor and a ruler.

Vectors are added by placing the second vector’s tail on the first vector’s

tip. The vector drawn from the tail of the first vector to the tip of the

second vector is the sum of the two vectors.

Write the law of sines below, and explain when you should use it.

_
R
 = _ = _
A B
sin θ sin a sin b
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You use the law of sines when you are given two angle measurements

and only one vector magnitude.

Write the law of cosines below, and explain when you should use it.

R2 = A2 + B2 − 2AB cos θ

You use the law of cosines when you are given two vectors and the angle

between the two vectors.

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1 Vectors (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 125–127 Explain how vector components are related to vector resolution.

A vector can be broken into its x- and y-components, which are a vector

parallel to the x-axis and another vector parallel to the y-axis. This

process of breaking vectors into components is called vector resolution.

GET IT? Explain how you should measure the direction of a vector.

The direction is measured counterclockwise from the positive x-axis.

Identify whether the components of a vector will be positive or negative

in each quadrant.

+y
Second quadrant First quadrant
90° < θ < 180° 0° < θ < 90°

Ax is negative Ax is positive

Ay is positive Ay is positive

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tan θ is negative tan θ is positive
+x
Third quadrant Fourth quadrant
180° < θ < 270° 270° < θ < 360°

Ax is negative Ax is positive

Ay is negative Ay is negative

tan θ is positive tan θ is negative

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 1 Vectors (continued)
Student Edition, p. 128 TRY IT !
Use with Example Problem 2.
Problem
Use this column for FINDING YOUR WAY HOME You are on a hike. Your camp is 13.0 km
away, in the direction 45.0° north of east. You must walk due north to
scratch work and avoid walking through a bog. If you walk due north for 7.0 km, how far,
sketches. and in what direction, would you have to walk to reach your camp?
1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM

KNOWNS UNKNOWNS

A = 7.0 km, due north B = ?

R = 13.0 km, 45.0° north of east θ = ?

2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN

Determine the angle you should use for the components of R.
Since R is in the first quadrant, θ = 45.0°.

Find the components of R.

Rx = R cos θ Ry = R sin θ
= (13.0 km) cos 45.0° = (13.0 km) sin 45.0°
= 9.19 km = 9.19 km
Because A is due north, Ax = 0.0 km and Ay = 7.0 km. Use the components
of R and A to find the components of B.
Bx = Rx − Ax By = Ry − Ay
= 9.19 km − 0.0 km = 9.19 km − 7.0 km
= 9.19 km = 2.19 km
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Use the components of vector B to find the magnitude of vector B.

B =  √
Bx2 + By2

=  √
(9.19 km)2 + (2.19 km)2 = 9.45 km

Locate the tail of vector B at the origin of a coordinate system, and draw
the components Bx and By. The vector B is in the first quadrant. Use the
tangent to find the direction of vector B.

(_)
θ = tan−1 2.19 km = 13.4°
9.19 km
B = 9.45 km at 13.4° north of east.

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1 Vectors (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 128 TRY IT ! (continued)
3. EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct? Kilometers and degrees are correct.

• Do the signs make sense? They should agree with the diagram.

SUMMARIZE
How does the MAINIDEA for this section relate to the chapter’s BIGIDEA?

Forces in two dimensions can be described using vector addition and vector resolution because all vectors

can be broken into x- and y-components.

REVIEW IT !
11. MAINIDEA Find the components of vector M,
shown in Figure 9. 5.0
-4.0 M 37.0°
Mx = 4.0 to the right K
My = 3.0 upward

6.0
L

Figure 9

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12. Components of Vectors Find the components of
vectors K and L in Figure 9.
Both vectors are horizontal, so they do not have any y-component.

Kx = −4.0, Ky = 0

Lx = 6.0, Ly = 0

13. Vector Sum Find the sum of the 14. Vector Difference Subtract
three vectors shown in Figure 9. vector K from vector L, shown in
Figure 9.
R = 6.7 at 27°
6.0 − (−4.0) = 10.0 to the right

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 1 Vectors (continued)
15. Commutative Operations Mathematicians say that vector addition is commutative
because the order in which vectors are added does not matter.

a. Use the vectors from Figure 9 b. Which ordinary arithmetic

to show graphically that operations (addition, subtraction,
M + L = L + M. multiplication, and division) are
commutative? Which are not?
Both ways of adding M and L result in Give an example of each
the same vector R. operation to support your
conclusion.

Addition and multiplication are

commutative.
Examples: 3 + 4 = 4 + 3
2 × 5 = 5 × 2
Subtraction and division are not
commutative.
Examples: 10 - 3 ≠ 3 - 10
8 ÷ 2 ≠ 2 ÷ 8

16. Distance v. Displacement Is the distance you walk equal to the magnitude of your
displacement? Give an example that supports your conclusion.

Not necessarily; for example, you could walk around the block (one km per side). Your displacement

would be zero, but the distance that you walk would be 4 km.

17. Critical Thinking You move a box through one displacement and then through a
second displacement. The magnitudes of the two displacements are unequal. Could
the displacements have directions such that the resultant displacement is zero?
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Suppose you move the box through three displacements of unequal magnitude. Could
the resultant displacement be zero? Support your conclusion with a diagram.

The resultant can’t be zero if there are two

displacements. If there are three displacements, the

sum can be zero if the three vectors form a triangle

when they are placed tip to tail. Also, the sum of

three displacements can be zero without forming a

triangle if the sum of two displacements in one

direction equals the third in the opposite direction.

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