Vector Components and Displacement of Lost Dog

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the vector components and displacement of a lost dog that travels 450m at 30 degrees south of west and then 600m at 20 degrees east of north. The user attempts to apply trigonometric functions to find the x and y components of each vector using sine and cosine. The correct approach involves recognizing that some components will be negative due to the direction of travel. The final displacement magnitude can be calculated using the resultant vector components derived from these calculations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of vector components and displacement
  • Knowledge of trigonometric functions (sine and cosine)
  • Ability to perform vector addition
  • Familiarity with coordinate systems
NEXT STEPS
  • Learn how to draw and represent vectors graphically
  • Study vector addition and resultant vectors
  • Explore the concept of negative components in vector calculations
  • Practice calculating magnitudes of resultant vectors using the Pythagorean theorem
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Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on vector analysis and displacement calculations, as well as educators looking for examples of vector problems in real-world scenarios.

nadong2dong
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Homework Statement


A lost dog travels 30 degrees south of west for 450m. He ten smells some food and sprints at 20 degrees east of north for 600m.
a) draw each vector. Label magnitude and theta.
b) calculate the vector components
c) calculate the magnitude of the dog's displacement.

Homework Equations


my guess is that there are two part of the components
sin30= y/450
cos30= x/450
sin70= y/600
cos70=x/600

The Attempt at a Solution


225
389.7
563.8
205.21

and i have no idea what to do with the magnitude of dog's displacement
 
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I desperately need some help please
 
It might help if you were to draw the vectors. Then you would see that some of those numbers need to be negative, and the result would give you the x and y components of the resultant vector.
 

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