Why is my resultant displacement magnitude not matching my calculations?

  • Thread starter kellyb1ll
  • Start date
In summary, a man drove a total of 12.7 miles northeast, 17.7 miles straight south, and 7.97 miles in a direction 30.3° north of west in search of his dog. The resultant vector was calculated to be (2.09899, -4.63) with a magnitude of 5.08357. However, the correct angle was found to be 294.07136 degrees, which could indicate a potential error in the x and y values. Further clarification and intermediate work is needed to determine the accuracy of the calculations.
  • #1
kellyb1ll
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A man in search of his dog drives first 12.7 mi northeast, then 17.7 mi straight south, and finally 7.97 mi in a direction 30.3° north of west.

a) What is the magnitude of his resultant displacement?

okay so i won't explain everything i did but I am pretty sure i got the right numbers.
for my resultant vector i get (2.09899, -4.63). the magnitude should be 5.08357. but its somehow not the right answer and I am not sure what i did wrong.

whats weird is that i needed to find the position of this vector which would be arctan(2.09899/-4.63) + 360. which would be 294.07136 degrees. THIS IS THE CORRECT ANGLE! so then wouldn't that mean that (2.09899, -4.63) are the right x and y values?

what am i doing wrong?

thanks for any help!
 
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  • #2
I'd start by drawing a picture and solving it graphically and then see if your numbers agree.

Don't forget you need to follow the PF homework template and show some intermediate work before we can help.
 

1. What is a vector magnitude?

A vector magnitude is a measure of the size or length of a vector. It is represented by a numerical value and does not include direction.

2. How is vector magnitude calculated?

Vector magnitude is calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the magnitude is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of each component of the vector.

3. What are some real-life applications of vector magnitude?

Vector magnitude is used in physics to calculate the force of an object, in engineering to determine the strength of a structure, and in navigation to calculate the distance and speed of an object.

4. Can vector magnitude be negative?

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

5. How does vector magnitude differ from vector direction?

Vector magnitude only represents the size of a vector, while direction indicates the orientation or angle of the vector. Both are necessary to fully describe a vector in space.

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