Lab 2: Vectors

Date Performed: March 1st, 2022

Class: PHYS 217

Section: 07209

Group Members:

Justin Pedroza

Hang Nguyen

Jake Truong

Nathan Shroeder

Maria Estrada

Abstract

Vectors are physical quantities that require magnitude and direction to be specified. We can

show vectors graphically and algebraically. Vectors can be scaled, added, and multiplied. There

are two common ways to add vectors to determine the resultant: the graphical and algebraic

methods. In this experiment, we are adding vectors to achieve a resultant, which we find by

adding the components of each vector to find the components of the resulting vector, allowing us

to find the magnitude and direction of the resulting vector. The experiment consists of four parts,

and in each part, students add vectors together. Students need to graphically find all solutions for

magnitude, direction, and components in each of these parts to ensure structuring the vectors’

equations correctly. One tiny error in calculations will end up with an incorrect outcome.
Theory

Definition of vectors:

Vector is a way to describe a force with its magnitude and direction in space, usually

presented as an upper-case letter with an arrow on top, for example:

In graphs, the vector is drawn as a line with an arrowhead on one tip, the

length of the line represents the vector’s magnitude (its displacement in space

or the scale of force) and the direction of the arrowhead represents the direction

of the vector.

Components of vectors:

Using a rectangular coordinate system of axes, vectors can be broken down into smaller

components for easier calculations within itself and with other vectors. The coordinate system

consists of 2 axes, the +x-axis pointing East and the +y-axis pointing North, shown in the

diagrams below:

The vector is projected onto the 2 axes and create 2

⃗
A

components Ax, Ay, their magnitudes are calculated by:

A x = A cosθ

A y =A sinθ

With θ (theta) is the angle from the positive x-axis to vector ⃗

A.

Θ=tan-1(vy/vx) (if vx>0)

 Θ=tan-1(vy/vx)±180 (if vx<0)

Applying the Pythagoras Theorem for right-angled triangle into the 2 axes coordinate system to

have the equation for the magnitude of vector ⃗

A:

|⃗A|= A=√ A x 2 + A y 2

Measurements and Observations

The lab work consists of determining Vector Magnitude, Angle, and Component

measurements, based on prescribed data, using calculations as well as entering the data into the

PhET simulation software and recording the results. In Part 1 of the lab, x-component and y-

component values are determined based on given angles and magnitudes of vectors. In Part 2,

Magnitude and Angle of Vectors are determined based on given x- and y-component values.

Part 3 continues by adding groups of vectors to find the magnitude and angle of the resultant or

sum. Finally, in part 4, these formulas learned in the first 3 steps are applied to real-world

situations as resultants are calculated from distances walked in multiple directions.

Simulation

Given data are input to the PhET simulator and the students record resulting values on an

Excel spreadsheet. The PhET simulator provides values accurate to the tenth (one decimal

place). The simulator provides options for arranging vectors according to Magnitude and

Direction, or according to x- and y-components, using a click and drag interface laid out on a

simulated x-y coordinate plane. The Resultant is provided in the form of a separate vector.
All Calculated values are rounded to the hundredth (two decimal places).
Part 1

In Part 1, Magnitude and Angle of a set of vectors are supplied, and the components must

be determined.

x-component y-component
Angle (in From From
Magnitude Calculated Calculated
degrees) Simulation Simulation
10 0 10.00 10.0 0.00 10.0
10 30 8.66 8.7 5.00 5.0
10 60 5.00 5.0 8.66 8.7
10 90 0.00 0.0 10.00 10.0
10 120 -5.00 -5.0 8.66 8.7
10 180 -10.00 -10.0 0.00 0.0
15 -15 14.49 14.5 -3.88 -3.9
15 -45 10.61 10.6 -10.61 -10.6
15 -75 3.88 3.9 -14.49 -14.5
15 -105 -3.88 -3.9 -14.49 -14.5

Excel does not calculate in terms of Degrees, so a conversion factor of π/180 is

incorporated in all formulas involving Angle and Direction. As expected, complementary angles

of the same magnitude (i.e. 60° and 120°) have x- and y- components with similar absolute

values, but with different signs based on the Direction of the Magnitude points. y-component

values increase as the angle approaches 90° or -90° (more vertical). Conversely, the x-

component values increase as the angle approaches 0 or 180 in the positive or negative directions

(more horizontal).
Part 2

In Part 2, the x-component and y-component are provided, and Magnitude and Angle

must be determined.

Magnitude Angle (in degrees)

Calculated From Simulation
x-component y-component Calculated From Simulation
(In degrees) (In degrees)
0 10 10.00 10.0 90.00 90.0
10 2 10.20 10.2 11.31 11.3
2 10 10.20 10.2 78.69 78.7
10 10 14.14 14.1 45.00 45.0
0 -10 10.00 10.0 -90.00 -90.0
2 -10 10.20 10.2 -78.69 -78.7
-2 -10 10.20 10.2 -101.31 -101.3
-10 5 11.18 11.2 153.43 153.4
-10 0 10.00 10.0 180.00 180.0
3 4 5.00 5.0 53.13° 53.1°

Vectors having inverted x- and y-components are found to have the same magnitude, however,

their angles differ with respect to the x and y axes. For instance, the Vector with x=10 and y=2

has a magnitude of 10.20 and an angle of 11.31° while the Vector with x=2 and y=10 still has a

magnitude of 10.20 but an angle of 78.69° which is exactly 90-11.31, or 11.31° off vertical.

Vectors with an x-component value of 0 or a y-component value of 0 are found to have Angle

values of 0° (or 180°) or ± respectively (final value depending on component signs).

Part 3

In Part 3 groups of Vectors were added together to find the Resultant, or Sum, of the Vectors.

From Simulation Calculated

Magnitude Angle Magnitude Angle
(in degrees) (in degrees)
d⃗ 11 60°
Set 1 e⃗ 19 -150°
d⃗ + e⃗ -11.00 179.9° 10.95 179.84°
d⃗ 10 140°
Set 2 e⃗ 20 10°
d⃗ + e⃗ 15.6 39.4° 15.59 39.43°
d⃗ 10 140°
e⃗ 25 10°
Set 3 ⃗f 5 -170°
d⃗ + e⃗ + ⃗f 15.6 39.4° 15.59 39.43°
d⃗ 10 140°
e⃗ 20 10°
Set 4
⃗f 10 -40°
d⃗ + e⃗ + ⃗f 20.0 10.0° 20.00 10.00°

For each group, or set, of Vectors, Magnitude and Angle are provided. The Magnitude

and Angle of the Resultant are calculated by summing the Components of the Vectors, then

applying the Pythagorean theorem to those sums. So, the first step is to calculate the

Components of the initial Vectors. Part 3 builds on the methods and formulas learned during

Part 1 and Part 2.

The Resultants shows the relationship between vectors when placed tip to tail, and how

the magnitude and direction of each Vector affect the relationship (distance and angle) of their

end points.

Part 4
 In Part 4, similar to Part 3, the magnitude and direction of a set of vectors are provided.

The goal of Part 4 is to find how far from a starting point a person stands after walking in certain

directions for certain distances (magnitude and angle). The information provide in Part 4

requires additional work as the Angle values of the initial vectors are provided with respect to

North, South, East, and West, so the total Angle needs to be calculated first. With those Angles

calculated, answering the questions follows the same process as Part 3, using Vector addition to

calculate the distance and angle of the walker’s final position relative to the starting position.

Part 4 represents a real-world application of Vector Addition, further realizing the

relationship between the start and endpoints of vectors. When comparing calculations to the data

provided by the PhET simulator, all values are very similar. The calculated values are slightly

more accurate as these are rounded to the hundredth whereas the simulator data are rounded to

the tenth. However, all values are consistent when allowing for this difference.

From Simulation From Calculations

Magnitude Magnitude
Angle Angle
(in meters) (in meters)
 12.0 20°WN
Question 1 20.0 40°SW
19.5 4.6° SW 19.5 4.65°SW
12.0 20°WN
20.0 40°SW
Question 2 14.0 30°EN
19.0 40°ES
4.00 3°WS 4.00 3°WS

Data Analysis and Discussion

Trigonometric functions such as cosine, sine, and tangent are used to calculate the

horizontal component and vertical component, magnitude or resultant, and the angle of a vector.

The students also demonstrate the process of calculating the addition of several vectors to form a

resultant graphically and algebraically (computational). The group was able to demonstrate that

the two methods produce slightly different results due to the number of decimals given through

the calculated results. The computation method is more accurate because we use two decimals to

represent the results, while the 2D simulation rounds numbers to 1 decimal. For instance, the

main idea of the first part of the lab is to calculate the x- and y- components of a vector with its

given magnitude and angle respectively. After analysis, the result of both methods Simulation

and algebraically (computational) appears to be relatively similar in value. It seems there are

extremely low percent error values that came from the 2D Simulator experiment which would

indicate that the algebraical method ((Microsoft Excel) is the best method of obtaining more

accurate values of the x and y components. For instance, given a vector of magnitude |d|= 15 and

negative angle of 15 the Simulator provides x=14.5 and y=-3.9 while the algebraical method

results are x=14.49 and y=-3.88.

Converting from Magnitude/Angle to Components

Converting from Components to Magnitude/Angle

Finding Magnitude/Angle of the Resultant

We demonstrate the process of the addition of several vectors to form a resultant

graphically and algebraically (Computational). As expected, both methods produce slightly

different results due to the number of decimals we provide for the calculated results. The

computation method was more accurate because we use two decimals to represent the results,

while the 2D simulation rounds numbers to 1 decimal.

Application

1. A person walking along straight paths at given angles and distances,

By applying vector addition, we are able to determine the final location of the person and their

displacement from their starting position.

2. A person again walking along straight paths but with more vectors or paths of travel,
From this, we can conclude that we can apply the vectors for multiple directions as we need to

know the final displacement of the person.

Conclusion

From the lab, we can now demonstrate motions into vectors with magnitude and angles and use

trigonometric rules to calculate the displacement of objects in real-life. The same applications

can be used to illustrate and calculate other subjects like velocity and acceleration.