Resolving Vectors into Components

To help answer some questions, take a look at the following information:
Vector Components and Resultants


You should now have an understanding of how to find components but perhaps don't realize their full usefulness. Let's return to the examples from the previous activity.

In the first example, one boy was pulling from the right with 100 N while the other boy was pulling from the left with 80 N. Use the definitions you have just seen to find the x and y components of each of the boys' force vectors. Once you have done this, find the resultant vector. You can do this by simply adding the corresponding components to find the components of the resultant vector. Your answer should not surprise you as you have probably already figured it out in your head.

In the second example, however, the resultant is harder to find. You can not simply add the magnitudes of the two vectors, since they lie in different directions. Instead you must find the components of each (in this case each vector will have an x and y component) and combine them to find the resultant.

In the second case where one boy is pulling 100 N at 19o and the other boy is pulling with 80 N at 167o, find the following results:
When you are finished go back to the eyemount activity and compare your results with those generated by the applet.

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