Basic Trigonometry - Phasor Diagram

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding the trigonometric relationships in a phasor diagram, specifically how these relationships relate to vector components in the context of electrical engineering. Participants are attempting to analyze a phasor diagram and clarify the connections between the equations and the diagram, as well as the implications of angles and vector components.

Discussion Character

  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in understanding how trigonometric relationships are derived from the phasor diagram.
  • Another participant points out that the components Iq and Id are perpendicular to each other, which is acknowledged by others.
  • There is a discussion about the appropriate assignment of vector components, with some suggesting that Id should be treated as Ax and Iq as Ay, while others argue that the angle should be considered with respect to the x-axis.
  • Participants debate the negative sign associated with Io, with one stating that Io is not negative and attributing the confusion to a trigonometric identity.
  • One participant notes that the sketch of the phasor diagram is not to scale, which may contribute to misunderstandings.
  • There is a suggestion that participants should focus on adapting formulas to fit the problem rather than relying on memorized formulas.
  • Another participant mentions that the book presents a shortcut that may have caused confusion regarding the angle used in the equations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the interpretation of the phasor diagram and the associated equations. There are multiple competing views regarding the assignment of vector components and the treatment of angles, as well as the sign of Io.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the assumptions made in the problem, particularly regarding the angle definitions and the implications of the negative sign in the equations. There is also mention of the sketch not being to scale, which may affect the understanding of the relationships depicted.

Fjolvar
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Homework Statement


Hello everyone,

I am having difficulty with something that should be very basic knowledge for most engineers here. I cannot see how this trigonometric relationship is being made from the phasor diagram I attached...

I remember the SohCahToa rule, but it's just not working here for me. Please if anyone can explain how these two equations were set up and how I can analyze the phasor diagram to see how.. it would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
 

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... basically, ##\vec{I}\!_0 = \vec{I}\!_q + \vec{I}\!_d##
... notice that Iq and Id are prependicular to each other?
 
Simon Bridge said:
... basically, ##\vec{I}\!_0 = \vec{I}\!_q + \vec{I}\!_d##
... notice that Iq and Id are prependicular to each other?

Yes I see that they're perpendicular. But I can't see how they are all related with sin and cosine..
 
Ok so I know these general formulas for a vector:

Ax=A cosθ
Ay=A sinθ
A=Ax+Ay (vectors)

Before I assumed "Id" to be our Ax and "Iq" to be our Ay here, which is where I think I made my mistake right? Since we are taking the angle with respect to the "y-axis" it seems to make more sense to use the Iq component as our Ax right? Or just use the parallelogram theorem of equivalency.. If so then I can see the relation through SohCahToa.

But I still don't see how -Io fits into the Id equation trigonometrically from the vector diagram..why is Io negative?

If someone can confirm my doubts I would be greatly appreciative.. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Fjolvar said:
Ok so I know these general formulas for a vector:

Ax=A cosθ
Ay=A sinθ
A=Ax+Ay (vectors)

Before I assumed "Id" to be our Ax and "Iq" to be our Ay here, which is where I think I made my mistake right? Since we are taking the angle with respect to the "y-axis" it seems to make more sense to use the Iq component as our Ax right? Or just use the parallelogram theorem of equivalency.. If so then I can see the relation through SohCahToa.

But I still don't see how -Io fits into the Id equation trigonometrically from the vector diagram..why is Io negative?

If someone can confirm my doubts I would be greatly appreciative.. Thank you.

You are getting there.
Id is your Ax ... but, using your formulas, theta is to the "x axis".
The angles to the x-axis is 90 minus the angle to the y-axis.

I notice that the sketch is not to scale.
Anyway - you really need to stop thinking in terms of fitting problems to memorized formulas.
You should be making the formulas fit the problem ... when you add Id and Iq, head-to-tail, you get a right-angled triangle with I0 as the hypotenuse and you know all the angles.
 
Simon Bridge said:
You are getting there.
Id is your Ax ... but, using your formulas, theta is to the "x axis".
The angles to the x-axis is 90 minus the angle to the y-axis.

I notice that the sketch is not to scale.
Anyway - you really need to stop thinking in terms of fitting problems to memorized formulas.
You should be making the formulas fit the problem ... when you add Id and Iq, head-to-tail, you get a right-angled triangle with I0 as the hypotenuse and you know all the angles.

Thanks, but I still don't see in the phasor diagram why Io would be negative...
I can produce the equations perfectly, besides the fact that I get a positive Io, which I know is incorrect.
 
Fjolvar said:
Thanks, but I still don't see in the phasor diagram why Io would be negative...
I can produce the equations perfectly, besides the fact that I get a positive Io, which I know is incorrect.

I0 is not negative.
The minus sign comes from the trig identity... cos(90-A)=...
 
Simon Bridge said:
You are getting there.
Id is your Ax ... but, using your formulas, theta is to the "x axis".
The angles to the x-axis is 90 minus the angle to the y-axis.

I notice that the sketch is not to scale.
Anyway - you really need to stop thinking in terms of fitting problems to memorized formulas.
You should be making the formulas fit the problem ... when you add Id and Iq, head-to-tail, you get a right-angled triangle with I0 as the hypotenuse and you know all the angles.

I'm confused because this is how it's shown in the book, as I wrote the equations. The book didn't take 90-theta and I'm trying to understand how these relations are written using the original value of theta without subtracting from 90..
 
Last edited:
I see now. In the book they direct the d-axis in the opposing direction and the negative sign is carried over to the Io side of the equation!
 
  • #10
Fjolvar said:
I'm confused because this is how it's shown in the book, as I wrote the equations. The book didn't take 90-theta and I'm trying to understand how these relations are written using the original value of theta without subtracting from 90..
The book took a shortcut. The shortcut confused you - so, to understand it, you have to go the long way around.

Considering the way you have been thinking about the problem, you will understand it better if you use the relations you wrote properly. This means taking θ=90-<angle> in order to get the right theta for your equations. Can you see why this is the right theta for your equations?

Books won't always use the variable symbols to mean the same thing that you are used to.
This is allowed - and it is why you should really be figuring out the equations that go with the problem instead of, what you are doing, trying to fit the problem into the equations.
 

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