Add 3 Vectors: Magnitude & Angle Calculation

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In summary, the student is trying to find the magnitude and angle of the resultant vector, but is not sure if he got it correct. He is given the angle between the resultant and A (36.4 degrees) and the magnitude of the resultant (19.715).
  • #1
Stanc
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Adding 3 Vectors?

Homework Statement



I am given Vector A which has a magnitude of 12, Vector B which has a magnitude of 5, and Vector C which has a magnitude of 8. I am given that the angle between Vector A and Vector B is 30 degrees and that the angle between Vector B and Vector C is 80 degrees. All angles are counterclockwise and Vector A is the HORIZONTAL..

I have to find the magnitude of |A+B-C| and the angle, relative to Vector A


Homework Equations


Cosine and Sine Law


The Attempt at a Solution



What I did was added A and B first using an angle of 150 degrees in the cos law. This gave me an answer of 16.52... However from here I flip Vector C and draw the resultant from there... However I do not know what the angle opposite from the resultant of (A+B) + (-C)

Please give me some guidance
 
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  • #2


I tried it but I am not sure if I got it correct. Is the answer 16.8863 and θ=36.4 degrees?
 
  • #3


Toranc3 said:
I tried it but I am not sure if I got it correct. Is the answer 16.8863 and θ=36.4 degrees?

I don't have the answer... What was the angle opposite to the resultant that you got?
 
  • #4


Someone has gotten an answer of 19.715... Heres how he did it:

Start by splitting the vectors into their x and y components.

the angle of A is 0 degrees.
the angle of B is 30 degrees.
the angle of C is 80+30 = 110 degrees.

so:
A_x = 12
A_y = 0

B_x = 5cos(30) = 4.3301
B_y = 5sin(30) = 2.5

C_x = 8cos(110) = -2.7362
C_y = 8sin(110) = 7.5175

now we can add the vectors easily (call the resulting vector D):
D_x = A_x + B_x - C_x
D_y = A_y + B_y - C_y

D_x = 12 + 4.3301 + 2.7362 = 19.0663
D_y = 0 + 2.5 - 7.5175 = -5.0175

now we can find the angle the vector makes by using tan^-1(D_y / D_x)
tan^-1(-5.0175 / 19.0663) = -14.73 degrees from the horizontal.

the magnitude is found by sqrt((D_x)^2 + (D_y)^2)
sqrt(19.0663^2 + (-5.0175)^2) = sqrt(388.699)
=
19.715

Anyone know how to do it through drawings instead of x and y components?
 
  • #5


Vectors are added head to tail. You can draw them out starting with A being horizontal to the right. B is added to the arrow end of A up 30° from horizontal, and C is added to the end of B at 80° from the line of vector B or an effective 110° from horizontal. You need to sum the X and Y components of each of these vectors and form a final triangle to solve for the ange and resultant magnitude. Equations would be as follows:

Sum of X's: 12+[5cos(30)]-[8cos(110)] = Xsum
Sum of Y's: 0+[5sin(30)]-[8cos(110)] = Ysum

*Remember that a -(-) equals a positive and the -[8cos(110)] ends up being added to 5cos(30) due to it becoming negative, and similarly for the sines but in this case it end up being
negative.

Resultant vector triangle is formed from these summed X and Y values, and you solve it with pythagorean theorum. Start with Xsum horizontal to the right, and YSum being added vertically down from the end of the XSum vector arrow. Resultant will be Tan-1(-YSum/XSum) = -X° down from horizontal, and magnitude is =Sqrt(Xsum^2+Ysum^2)
 
Last edited:
  • #6


Stanc said:
I don't have the answer... What was the angle opposite to the resultant that you got?

I think I got the angle wrong. I got the angle between the resultant and A from the dot product. Sorry! :cry:
 

1. What is the formula for calculating the magnitude of a vector?

The magnitude of a vector is calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the magnitude is equal to the sum of the squares of the components. In other words, the magnitude (|V|) is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the x-component (Vx), y-component (Vy), and z-component (Vz): |V| = √(Vx² + Vy² + Vz²).

2. How do you calculate the angle between two vectors?

The angle between two vectors can be calculated using the dot product formula: cosθ = (V1 ⋅ V2) / (|V1| ⋅ |V2|), where θ is the angle between the two vectors, V1 and V2.

3. Can the magnitude of a vector ever be negative?

No, the magnitude of a vector is always a positive value. It represents the size or length of the vector, which cannot be negative.

4. What is the difference between magnitude and direction in a vector?

The magnitude of a vector is the size or length of the vector, while the direction is the angle at which the vector is pointing. Both are important in fully describing a vector.

5. Is it possible to add more than three vectors using the magnitude and angle calculation method?

Yes, the method of adding vectors using magnitude and angle calculations can be extended to any number of vectors. The magnitude and angle of each vector can be calculated and then added together to determine the resultant vector.

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