5 Displacement and Force in Two Dimensions

ENCOUNTER THE PHENOMENON

Write the Encounter the Phenomenon question for this module.

Why is this specialized train washing the train tracks?

Use the “What I Know” column to list the things you know about the Encounter the Phenomenon
question. Then list the questions you have about the Encounter the Phenomenon question in the
“What I Want to Find Out” column. As you read the module, 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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Displacement and Force in Two Dimensions
1 Vectors
REVIEW Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
VOCABULARY
vector  a quantity that has magnitude and direction
vector

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)
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.

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

_ R
= ​ _
​     ​  
A
= ​ _
   ​  
B
   ​ 
sin θ sin a sin b

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
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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)
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 positive
Ax is

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)
Use with Example TRY IT!
Problem 2.
Problem
FINDING YOUR WAY HOME You are on a hike. Your camp is 13.0 km
Use this column for
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

7.0 km, due north B
A = = ?

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

2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWNS

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.

  x2 + By2 ​ 
B = ​  √
B

2
 = ​  √(9.19 km)

  
   + (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.

(_
9.19 km )
2.19 km
θ = tan−1​ ​   ​ 
 
​ = 13.4°

B = 9.45 km at 13.4° north of east.

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1 Vectors (continued)
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.
• 

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS

11. Vectors Use Figure 9 for these questions.
a. Find the components of vectors K, L, and M.
b. Find the sum of the three vectors.
c. Subtract vector K from vector L.

5.0

- 4.0 M 37.0°
K
6.0
L

Figure 9

a. Mx = 4.0 to the right
My = 3.0 upward

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education

For K and L, both vectors are horizontal, so they do not have any y‑component.
Kx = −4.0, Ky = 0
Lx = 6.0, Ly = 0

b. R = 6.7 at 27°

c. 6.0 − (−4.0) = 10.0 to the right

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 1 Vectors (continued)
12. 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.

13. 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 b. Are addition, subtraction,

Figure 9 to show graphically multiplication, and division
that M + L = L + M. commutative? Give an example
Both ways of adding M and L result of each operation to support
your conclusion.
in the same vector R.
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

14. 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
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zero? 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

C05-02A-865893_A-A
direction equals the third in the opposite direction.

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