Beginner Needing Help with Vector Physics Lab

In summary, the speaker is asking for help with calculating the forces in a pulley system they did in their lab. They used two spring balances attached to a long string and measured the angles and spring balance readings. They are unsure if their calculations are correct and are asking for guidance. They also clarify that the angles are measured from the horizontal and ask for help with the calculation setup.
  • #1
keishuu
12
0
Hi! Can someone give me a general idea of how I do this?
In my lab today we a pulley system with two spring balances attached to a long sting. We had to do several configurations and measure the angle and record the reading on the spring balances. Could someone guide me as to how to do the calculations for this?
For example:
A 150 g weight was attached to the string
Spring balance reading string 1 (the magnitude I guess): 120g
Angle string 1: 65 degrees
Spring balance reading string 2: 20g
Angle string 160 degrees

I'm supposed to see if all the forces add up to zero. I'm not quite sure if my lab group did the lab right, but could someone please help me figure out the calculation setup for this. Thank you so much!
 
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  • #2
Are the angles measured with respect to the vertical or horizontal, or what?
 
  • #3
From the horizontal
 
  • #4
Please help!
 
  • #5
Do you add the magnitude of the sum of the vectors formed by the string and then the mass of the weight * acceleration?
 

1. What is a vector in physics?

A vector in physics is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. It is represented by an arrow pointing in the direction of the vector, with the length of the arrow representing the magnitude of the vector.

2. How do I calculate the magnitude of a vector?

The magnitude of a vector can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the other two sides. In vector form, this can be written as ||v|| = √(x² + y² + z²), where x, y, and z are the components of the vector.

3. What is the difference between a displacement vector and a velocity vector?

A displacement vector represents the change in position of an object, while a velocity vector represents the rate of change of an object's position. In other words, a displacement vector tells you how far an object has moved, while a velocity vector tells you how fast and in what direction the object is moving.

4. How do I add or subtract vectors?

To add or subtract vectors, you must first break them down into their x, y, and z components. Then, you can add or subtract each component separately to get the resulting vector. For example, to add two vectors v and w, you would add their x-components, y-components, and z-components separately to get the resulting vector v + w = (vx + wx, vy + wy, vz + wz).

5. How do I find the angle between two vectors?

The angle between two vectors can be found using the dot product formula: θ = cos⁻¹((v∙w)/(||v||∙||w||)), where v and w are the two vectors and ||v|| and ||w|| are their magnitudes. Alternatively, you can use the cross product formula: sinθ = ||v x w|| / (||v||∙||w||), where v and w are the two vectors and ||v|| and ||w|| are their magnitudes. In both cases, θ represents the angle between the two vectors.

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