Lecture 2

Vector and
Translational kinematics
 Outlines
1. Magnitude and directions
2. Adding Vector
3. Dot Product
4. Cross Product
5. Dynamic - One dimensional
motion
6. Equations for Constant
Acceleration
Problem Solving Strategy
 Problem Solving Summary
• Equations are the tools of physics
– Understand what the equations mean and how to
use them
• Carry through the algebra as far as possible
– Substitute numbers at the end
• Be organized
 Vector vs. Scalar Review
• All physical quantities encountered in this text
will be either a scalar or a vector.
• A vector quantity has both magnitude (size)
and direction.
- displacement, velocity, force, momentum
• A scalar is completely specified by only a
magnitude (size).
- mass, time, temperature, energy
 Vector Notation
• When handwritten, use an arrow:
• When printed, will be in bold print with an
arrow:
• When dealing with just the magnitude of a
vector in print, an italic letter will be used: A
– Italics will also be used to represent scalars
 Properties of Vectors
• Equality of Two Vectors.
– Two vectors are equal if
they have the same
magnitude and the same
direction
• Movement of vectors in
a diagram.
– Any vector can be
moved parallel to itself
without being affected
• Arrows are used to represent vectors. The direction of
the arrow gives the direction of the vector.
• By convention, the length of a vector arrow is
proportional to the magnitude of the vector.

8N
4N

• Two vectors are negative if they have the same

magnitude but are opposite direction (180o apart).

A
B
• We write this as B = - A
•
 Adding Vectors
• When adding vectors, their directions must be
taken into account.
• Units must be the same.
• Geometric Methods.
– Use scale drawings
• Algebraic Methods.
• The resultant vector (sum) is denoted as
Adding Vectors Geometrically or Graphical Method
(Triangle or Polygon Method)
• Choose a scale.
• Draw the first vector with the appropriate length and in the
direction specified, with respect to a coordinate system.
• Draw the next vector using the same scale with the
appropriate length and in the direction specified.
• Continue drawing the vectors “tip-to-tail”.
• The resultant is drawn from the origin of the first vector
to the end of the last vector.
• Measure the length of the resultant and its angle.
• Use the scale factor to convert length to actual magnitude.
• This method is called the triangle method.
 Polygon Method
• When you have many
vectors, just keep
repeating the “tip-to-tail”
process until all are
included.
• The resultant is still
drawn from the origin of
the first vector to the end
of the last vector.
 Notes about Vector Addition
• Vectors obey the Commutative Law of Addition.
– The order in which the vectors are added doesn’t affect the
result.
–
 Vector Subtraction
• Special case of vector
addition.
– Add the negative of the
subtracted vector
•
• Continue with standard
vector addition
procedure.
 Components of a Vector
• It is useful to use
rectangular components
to add vectors.
– These are the projections of
the vector along the x-axes
( ) and y-axes
( ).

– The value will be correct only if the angle lies in the first or fourth quadrant.
– In the second or third quadrant, add 180°.
 Other Coordinate Systems
• It may be convenient to
use a coordinate system
other than horizontal
and vertical.
• Choose axes that are
perpendicular to each
other.
• Adjust the components
accordingly.
 Adding Vectors Algebraically
• Choose a coordinate system and sketch the vectors.
• Find the x- and y-components of all the vectors.
• Add all the x-components.
– This gives Rx:
• Add all the y-components
– This gives Ry:
• Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the magnitude of
the resultant:
• Use the inverse tangent function to find the direction of R:
 Unit vectors
• Unit vectors is a vectors that has a magnitude
of 1. It is useful to define unit vectors pointing
in the positive directions along the x, y and z
axes of a Cartesian coordinate system.

x - axis : unit vector iˆ (or x̂ )

y - axis : unit vector ˆj (or ŷ)
z - axis : unit vector kˆ (or ẑ)
Example 1:
A displacement vector has a magnitude of 175 m and points
at an angle of 50.0 degrees relative to the x axis. Find the x
and y components of this vector.

sin θ = y r
( )
y = r sin θ = (175 m ) sin 50.0o = 134 m

cos θ = x r
( )
x = r cos θ = (175 m ) cos 50.0o = 112 m

r = (112 m ) î + (134 m ) ĵ
r
Example 2:
Find the magnitude and directions vector R for the diagram
below.

R
2.00 m
θ
6.00 m
 6.32 m
2.00 m
θ = 18.4o
6.00 m
R = (2.00 m ) + (6.00 m )
2 2 2

R= (2.00 m ) + (6.00 m )
2 2
= 6.32m
tan θ = 2.00 6.00
θ = tan −1
(2.00 6.00) = 18.4 o
above 6.00 m vector
 Products of Vectors
1) Dot product
A ⋅ B = AB cos φ = A B cos φ
B
A ⋅ B = Ax Bx + Ay B y + Az Bz
θ
A
NOTE:
The scalar product obeys the
i) A⋅ B
commutative law of multiplication: = B⋅ A
ii) î ⋅ î = ĵ ⋅ ĵ = k̂ ⋅ k̂ = 1
iii) î ⋅ ˆj = ĵ ⋅ k̂ = k̂ ⋅ î = 0
Example 3:
Find the scalar product of A⋅ B the two vectors in figure
below. The magnitudes of the vectors are A = 4.00 and
B = 5.00.
φ = 130.0o − 53.0o = 77.0o
A ⋅ B = AB cos φ = (4.00)(5.00) cos 77.0o = 4.50
Or
Ax = (4.00) cos 53.0o = 2.407
Ay = (4.00)sin 53.0o = 3.195
Bx = (5.00) cos130.0o = −3.214
By = (5.00)sin 130.0o = 3.830

A ⋅ B = Ax Bx + Ay By + Az Bz
= (2.407)(− 3.214) + (3.195)(3.830) + (0)(0)
= 4.50
 Products of Vectors
2) Cross product
iˆ ˆj kˆ
A× B = Ax Ay Az Ay Az Ax Az Ax Ay
A×B Bx By Bz
= iˆ
By Bz
− ˆj
Bx Bz
+ kˆ
Bx By

= ( Ay Bz − B y Az )iˆ − ( Ax Bz − Bx Az ) ˆj + ( Ax B y − Bx Ay )kˆ

NOTE:
B The vector product obeys the
i) î × î = ĵ× ĵ = k̂ × k̂ = 0
θ ii) î × ĵ = k̂, ĵ× k̂ = î, k̂ × î = ĵ
iii) ĵ× î = −k̂, k̂ × ĵ = −î, î × k̂ = − ĵ
A
iv) Vector product is not commutative! In fact, for
any two vectors A and B,
A × B = −( B × A)
 Right hand rule

NOTE: A × B = AB sin φ
Example 4:
Vector A has magnitude 6 unit and is in the direction of the
+x-axis. Vector B has magnitude 4 units and lies in the
xy-plane, making an angle of 30o with the +x-axis. Find the
vector product C = A x B.
A × B = AB sin φ = (6)(4)sin 30o = 12 units
By the right-hand rule, the direction of the vector C is along
the +z-axis.
C = A × B = 12kˆ
Or
Ax = 6 Ay = 0 Az = 0
Bx = 4 cos 30o = 2 3 B y = 4 sin 30o = 2 Bz = 0

C = ( Ay Bz − B y Az )iˆ − ( Ax Bz − Bx Az ) ˆj + ( Ax B y − Bx Ay )kˆ
( ( ) ) ( ( ) )
= ((0)(0) − (2)(0))iˆ − (6)(0) − 2 3 (0) ˆj + (6)(2) − 2 3 (0) kˆ
= 12k̂
 Dynamics
• The branch of physics involving the motion of an
object and the relationship between that motion
and other physics concepts.
• Kinematics is a part of dynamics.
– In kinematics, you are interested in the description of
motion
– Not concerned with the cause of the motion
• Any motion involves three concepts:
– Displacement
– Velocity
– Acceleration
 Position and Displacement
• Position defined in terms of a frame of
reference.
– A choice of coordinate axes
– Defines a starting point for measuring the motion
– One dimensional, so generally the x- or y-axis
• Displacement defined as the change in position.
– ∆x ≡ xf − xi
• f stands for final and i stands for initial
– Units are meters (m) in SI
 Displacement Examples

• From A to B
– xi = 30 m
– xf = 52 m
– ∆x = 22 m
– The displacement is positive, indicating the motion was in the
positive x direction.

• From C to F
– xi = 38 m
– xf = -53 m
– ∆x = -91 m
– The displacement is negative, indicating the motion was in the
negative x direction.
Displacement, Graphical
 Vector and Scalar Quantities
• Vector quantities need both magnitude (size)
and direction to completely describe them.
– Generally denoted by boldfaced type and an
arrow over the letter
– + or – sign is sufficient for this chapter
• Scalar quantities are completely described by
magnitude only.
• The displacement (vector) of an object is not
the same as the distance (scalar) it travels.
 Path Length vs. Distance
• Distance depends only on the endpoints.

– The distance does not depend on what happens

between the endpoints
– Is the magnitude of the displacement
• Path length will depend on the actual route
taken.
 Speed
• The average speed of an object is defined as the total
distance traveled divided by the total time elapsed.
path length
Average speed =
elapsed time
d
v =
t
– Speed is a scalar quantity
• Average speed totally ignores any variations in the
object’s actual motion during the trip.
• The path length and the total time are all that is
important.
– Both will be positive, so speed will be positive
• SI units are m/s.
 Velocity
• It takes time for an object to undergo a displacement.
• The average velocity is rate at which the displacement
occurs.

• Velocity can be positive or negative.

– ∆t is always positive
• Average speed is not the same as the average velocity.
• Direction will be the same as the direction of the
displacement.
• Units of velocity are m/s (SI).
 Average Velocity, Graphical

The slope of the line is the

value of the average velocity.
The average velocity is the
slope of the straight line joining
the initial and final points.
 Instantaneous Velocity
• The limit of the average velocity as the time interval
becomes infinitesimally short, or as the time interval
approaches zero.

• The instantaneous velocity indicates what is happening

at every point of time.
– The magnitude of the instantaneous velocity is what you read
on a car’s speedometer
• The slope of the line tangent to the position vs. time
graph is defined to be the instantaneous velocity at that
time.
– The instantaneous speed is defined as the magnitude of the
instantaneous velocity
 Graphical Instantaneous Velocity

• Average velocities are the blue lines.

• The green line (tangent) is the instantaneous velocity.
Example 5:
A train moves slowly along a straight portion of track
according to the graph of position versus time in figure below.

Find
(a) the average velocity for the total trip,
(b) the average velocity during the first 4.00 s of motion,
(c) the average velocity during the next 4.00 s of motion,
(d) the instantaneous velocity at t = 2.00 s, and
(e) the instantaneous velocity at t = 9.00 s.
 Acceleration
• Changing velocity means an acceleration is present.
• Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity.

• Units are m/s² (SI), cm/s² (cgs), and ft/s² (US Cust).
• Vector quantity.
• A negative acceleration does not necessarily mean the
object is slowing down.
• If the acceleration and velocity are both negative, the
object is speeding up.
• “Deceleration” means a decrease in speed, not a
negative acceleration.
 Instantaneous and Uniform Acceleration
• The limit of the average acceleration as the time
interval goes to zero.

• When the instantaneous accelerations are

always the same, the acceleration will be
uniform.
– The instantaneous accelerations will all be equal to
the average acceleration
 Graphical Interpretation of Acceleration
• Average acceleration is the
slope of the line connecting
the initial and final velocities
on a velocity vs. time graph.
• Instantaneous acceleration is
the slope of the tangent to the
curve of the velocity-time
graph.
Motion Diagram Summary
 Equations for Constant
Acceleration
• These equations are used in situations with
uniform acceleration.
 Problem-Solving Hints
• Read the problem.
• Draw a diagram.
– Choose a coordinate system
– Label initial and final points
– Indicate a positive direction for velocities and accelerations
• Label all quantities, be sure all the units are
consistent.
– Convert if necessary
• Choose the appropriate kinematic equation.
Example 6:
(a) A race car starting from rest
accelerates at a constant rate of 5.00
m/s2. What is the velocity of the car
after it has travelled 1.00×102 ft?
(b) How much time has elapsed?
(c) Calculate the average velocity using
two different ways.

Given 1.00 ft = 0.305 m

Example 7:
A car traveling at a constant speed of
24.0 m/s passes a trooper hidden behind
a billboard, as in figure below. One
second after the speeding car passes the
billboard, the trooper sets off in chase
with a constant acceleration of 3.00 m/s2.
(a) How long does it take the trooper to
overtake the speeding car?
(b) How fast is the trooper going at that
time?