Vectors

Notation
Addition
C B A

= +
B

A
C

Tail of 1
st
to head of last

A
Vector Components
Any vector can be written as the unique sum of two vectors,
one horizontal (x-direction) the other vertical (y-direction).
A
A
x

A
y

u
A = A
x
+ A
y
We can specify the vector by giving the magnitude and
direction, or by giving the components:
) , ( ) , (
y x
A A A A = = u

Right Triangle Trigonometry

a
b
c hypotenuse
c
2
= a
2
+ b
2
sinu =
b
c
cosu =
a
c
tanu =
b
a
u
Exercise: Find the components of a velocity vector with
magnitude 20 m/s directed at 37
o
above the + x-axis.
20
37
o

v
y

v
x

v
x
= 20cos(37) = 16
m
s
v
y
= 20sin 37 ( ) =12
m
s
Exercise: The components of a force vector are F
x
= 10 N and
F
y
= 20 N. Find the magnitude and direction of the force.
10
20
F
u
F = 10
2
+ 20
2
= 22.4
tanu =
20
10
= 63.4
o
Vector addition using components
A
B
C
C
x
= A
x
+ B
x
C
y
= A
y
+ B
y
Exercise: Two forces are given in magnitude, direction format
as:
F
1
= 20 N, 37
o
( )
F
2
= (30 N,150
o
)
Find the magnitude and direction of the sum of the two forces.
Unit Vectors
This is a fancy name for a vector of length 1.
We can construct a unit vector from any vector by simply dividing by the
magnitude of the vector.
A
A
A

=

Unit vectors in the x, y, z directions are denoted:

k j i

,

A vector with x component +6 and y component -3 is written:

j i A

3

6 =

j i A

45 .

89 .

=
In unit vector notation, vector addition is trivial.
k j i A

3

8 + =

j i B

5

2 + =

k j i B A C

3

6 + + = + =

Vector Multiplication
Two vectors can be multiplied to give a scalar result.
This is called the scalar product, or the dot product.
A

u cos AB B A =

The dot product is a measure of how much of one vector lies along another vector.
B
A A B A
B
B
A = = = u cos

Component of A along B
Note that
= are B and A B A

0
are unit vectors that are mutually perpendicular to each other. It follows that
k j i

,

1


= = = k k j j i i
0

= = = k j k i j i
Vector multiplication is distributive, just like ordinary multiplication, so you can find
the dot product of 2 vectors easily if they are in unit vector notation.
Example:
k j i A

2 + =

k i B

3

4 + =

( ) ( ) k i k j i B A

3

2 + + =

k k i k k j i j k i i i B A

3

21

28

6

8 + + + =

5 3 8 = + = B A

answer is a scalar, no direction
Dot Product Using Components

A

B


( )
B A
AB AB B A u u u = = cos cos

B A B A
B A B A B A u u u u sin sin cos cos + =

y y x x
B A B A B A + =

Exercise: Find the angle between these two vectors:
j i b
j i a

2
+ =
+ =

106 68 = = b a
62 72 10 = + = b a

u cos 106 68 62 - =
o
43 = u
Note there are no unit vectors
anymore
Cross Product
It is possible to start with 2 vectors and multiply them to form a 3
rd
vector.
The new vector is called the cross product or the vector product of the original
vectors.
Symbolically, you write
C B A

=
The magnitude of the cross product is given by
u sin AB C =
A

u
The direction of the cross product is perpendicular to both of the original vectors
as determined by the right hand rule.
Note that 2 vectors that are parallel or anti parallel have a 0 cross product.
Note also that cross product multiplication is not commutative
A B B A

=
are unit vectors that are mutually perpendicular to each other. It follows that k j i

,

0


= = = k k j j i i
j i k
i k j
k j i

=
=
=
Vector multiplication is distributive, just like ordinary multiplication, so you can find
the cross product of 2 vectors easily if they are in unit vector notation.
Example:
k j i A

2 + =

k i B

3

4 + =

( ) ( ) k i k j i B A

3

2 + + =

k k i k k j i j k i i i B A

3

21

28

6

8 + + + =

j i k j B A

4

21

28

6 =

answer is a vector
k j i B A

28

10

21 =