Open Question
(II) V (→ above V) is a vector 21.8 units in magnitude and points at an angle of 23.4° above the negative 𝓍 axis.
(a) Sketch this vector.
3. Vectors
Introduction to Vectors
Struggling with Physics?
Join thousands of students who trust us to help them ace their exams!Watch the first videoMultiple Choice
Sam walked 4 blocks east and 3 blocks north. What was the magnitude of Sam's displacement?
A
1 block
B
3 blocks
C
4 blocks
D
7 blocks
E
5 blocks
Verified step by step guidance1
To find the magnitude of Sam's displacement, we can use the Pythagorean theorem. This is because Sam's path forms a right triangle with the east and north directions as the two perpendicular sides.
Identify the lengths of the two sides of the right triangle: Sam walked 4 blocks east and 3 blocks north. These are the two legs of the triangle.
According to the Pythagorean theorem, the square of the hypotenuse (displacement) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Mathematically, this is expressed as: , where and are the legs of the triangle.
Substitute the known values into the equation: .
Solve for by taking the square root of both sides of the equation to find the magnitude of the displacement.
5:06mWatch next
Master Introduction to Vector Math with a bite sized video explanation from Patrick
Start learningRelated Videos
Related Practice
Introduction to Vectors practice set
Problem sets built by lead tutorsExpert video explanations