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September 1, 2016
September 1, 2016
One of the most important concepts in PS2 is the concept of a vector. You can think of a
vector as being like an arrowsomething that has a direction, and a magnitude (or
length). Here are a bunch of vectors, with various magnitudes and directions:
You can move a vector around on the page (or anywhere really) and it will always be the
same vectoras long as it keeps the same magnitude and direction! Here are a bunch of
vectors that are all identical:
Here are some vectors that all have the same magnitude but different directions:
And here are some vectors that all have the same direction but different magnitudes:
We use vectors to represent physical quantities that require both a magnitude and a
direction. For instance, we use vectors to describe the velocity of an object. In physics,
the word velocity means both the speed and direction that an object is moving. So we
need a vector to describe velocity:
The magnitude of a velocity vector tells you the speed of an object:
how fast is it going? (Note that the magnitude is always positive.)
The direction of a velocity vector tells you the direction of motion:
in what direction is it moving?
Speed can be described using any convenient units, like miles per hour or meters per
second. Direction can be specified in many waysfor instance, north or east.
September 1, 2016
To describe a vector,
you need to tell me how long it is
and in what direction it is pointing.
5 steps
(5, 2)
2 steps
a is a scalar
a is a vector
(In your textbook, vectors are distinguished by boldface type: a is a vector.)
For the vector v , the x-component is vx, and the y-component is vy.
So in the example pictured above, the vector v has vx = 5 and vy = 2. Note that the
components of a vector are ordinary scalars (numbers)!
The magnitude of a vector can be found from its components using the Pythagorean
theorem:
September 1, 2016
Introduction
September 1, 2016
The arrow shown below represents the velocity vector ( v ) of a baseball. The length of
the arrow represents how fast the ball is moving (its speed), while the direction of the
arrow represents the direction of the ball.
a)
Draw another arrow representing the same velocity vector, but with the tail of the vector
located at the origin.
b)
What are the x- and y-components of the vector? Does it matter where it is located?
c)
Calculate the magnitude of this vector. (The magnitude is the length of the vector.)
d)
Estimate the standard angle of this vector (defined as the angle measured from the
x-axis, such that the y-axis is defined to have a standard angle of +90.)
September 1, 2016
Vectors in Medicine
Vectors and components are crucial tools for analyzing EKGs
Lead I:
(x-component)
Lead aVF:
(y-component)
The large peak on the ECG tells about the mean electrical axis of the heart.
When the heart contracts, an
! electrical signal propagates through the heart muscle. The mean
electrical axis is a vector H that points in the direction of this electrical signal.
The two leads
shown above give
the components
of
!
this vector H .
What is the
direction of the
mean electrical
axis for the patient
shown here?
Be careful about
the direction of the
y-axis (aVF)!
September 1, 2016
Suppose I tell you that c = a + b .
What does this mean mathematically?
Unit vectors are very useful. Given any coordinate system, we can define:
x : a vector that points in the +x direction with unit length
September 1, 2016
Position, Velocity,
and Speed
1.
2.
3.
y
The position vector r is a
vector from the origin of the
coordinate system to the location
of as object. Draw position
vectors for the initial position
and final position of the ball.
4.
5.
The average speed v of an object is a scalar (not a vector!) defined as the total
distance traveled divided by the total time. Estimate the average speed of the basketball
during the duration of this image.
Bonus! The instantaneous velocity v at any time is defined as the average velocity over
a very short time interval (strictly speaking, in the limit that the interval approaches zero).
Draw some vectors on the image to represent the instantaneous velocity of the ball at
various times.
y
Physical Sciences 2: Lecture 1a
September 1, 2016
Am I getting it?
1.
2.
3.
a) r = 6 m
b) r = (0 m, 6 m)
c) r = (6 m, 0 m)
d) r = (6 m) x
e) r = (6 m) x + (0 m) y
f) r = 6 x
g) r = 6 x + 0 y
What is my average velocity v during the entire trip (walking and running back)?
Choose all that are correct.
a) v = 3 m/s
b) v = 0 m/s
c) v = ( 0 m/s ) x
d) v = ( 0 m/s ) y
e) v = (3 m/s, 0 m/s)
f) v = (0 m/s, 0 m/s)
g) v = 0
What is my average speed v during the entire trip (walking and running back)?
Choose all that are correct.
a) v = 3 m/s
b) v = 4 m/s
d) v = (3 m/s, 0 m/s)
e) v = 0
c) v = 0 m/s
Bonus! For each of the following equations, write an equivalent equation (or equations!)
involving the vector components. (x and y components will be sufficient)
a = 2b + c
K=
1 2
mv
2
Fdrag = Cd A v v
2
September 1, 2016
Activity 2: Motion
This multi-flash photograph shows two pool balls (6 cm in diameter) rolling on a surface
without friction. The grid lines are spaced 10 cm apart, and the balls are photographed
at a rate of 25 frames per second. Initially, ball 2 is at rest (the dark black one), and ball
1 is entering from the left. The two balls collide and move off to the right.
ball 2
ball 2
ball 1
ball 1
1.
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September 1, 2016
Activity 2 (continued)
2.
3.
The mass of a pool ball is about 160 g. Considering the two balls together as a single
system, calculate:
4.
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September 1, 2016
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September 1, 2016
One-Minute Paper
Your name: _____________________________
Names of your group members:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
Please tell us any questions that came up for you today during lecture. Write nothing
if no questions(s) came up for you during class.
What single topic left you most confused after todays class?
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