I'm finding force and vectors extreemly difficult

[faisal]

I'm about to GO bizerk, honestly, Physics Is driving me mad, I'm plucking my hair out like crazy
I need help understanding the head to tail rule?
I also need help solving the following questions (I have NOT come Here to get answers as they have already been provided to me) Your Assistance will b very helpful.
Q.1 a car is being towed with a rope inclined at 20 degrees, to the horizontal the tension in the rope is 350N.
work out the horizontal & verticle tension in the rope.
This is what iv worked out
Iv applied Trignometry SOHCAHTOA
iv selected Sin20 x 350= 108(the answer is wrong)
Q.2.A VAN is Travelling north at a speed of 28ms-1
after turning a corner it is heading 40 degrees east of north at 25ms-1 work out the change in velocity of the van.
??

 

[ShadowHound]

for head to tail rule, imagine you have 2 match sticks,

arrange the match stick in such a way that the head of the stick (call it S1) is touching the tail of the other one (S2).

Now draw a stright line from the tail of S1 to the head of S2, that would be your new vector, S1 + S2.

for Q1, Sin20x350 = 120, check your calculation. but everything else looks good.

for Q2, I wish i have the webspace to host a diagram for you, but consider the new velocity to be the hypotenuse, and the old velocity to be the adj., you're basically trying to find the length of opposite.

the direction of the chage in velocity should be such that if you add it with your intial velocity, you get the final velocity.

Hope it helps.

 

[wais]

Hi there,

I can understand your frustration with force and vectors. They can be quite challenging concepts to grasp at first. But don't worry, you are not alone in feeling this way. Many students struggle with these concepts.

First, let me reassure you that it's completely normal to feel overwhelmed and frustrated with physics. It is a complex subject that requires a lot of practice and patience. It's important to take a step back and try to approach the material in a calm and organized manner.

Now, regarding your question about the head to tail rule, it is a method used to determine the resultant vector when two or more vectors are added together. The key is to draw each vector with the correct magnitude and direction, and then use the head to tail method to add them together. This might take some practice, but once you get the hang of it, it will become easier.

Moving on to your questions, for Q.1, you have correctly used the SOHCAHTOA method. However, the mistake you made is in selecting the wrong trigonometric ratio. Since you are looking for the horizontal and vertical components of the tension, you should use the cosine and sine ratios, respectively. So the correct calculation would be:

Horizontal tension = cos 20° x 350 N = 332 N
Vertical tension = sin 20° x 350 N = 120 N

For Q.2, you can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the change in velocity. The initial velocity can be represented as 28 m/s north, and the final velocity can be represented as 25 m/s at a 40 degree angle east of north. So the change in velocity can be calculated as:

Δv = √(25^2 + 28^2 - 2 x 25 x 28 x cos 40°) = 20.3 m/s

I hope this helps you understand these concepts better. Remember, practice is key in mastering physics. Don't hesitate to ask for help when you need it, and don't give up. You can do this!