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Vector addition does not follow the familiar rules of addition as applied to addition of numbers. However, if vectors are resolved into their components, the rules of addition do apply for these components.

There is a further advantage when vectors are resolved along orthogonal (mutually perpendicular) directions. A vector has no effect in a direction perpendicular to its own direction.

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Q: What is the purpose of vector resolution in adding vectors?
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What is difference in resultant vector and vector resolution?

the difference between resultant vector and resolution of vector is that the addition of two or more vectors can be represented by a single vector which is termed as a resultant vector. And the decomposition of a vector into its components is called resolution of vectors.


How resolution of vector is used in applying the component methods in adding vectors?

The related question has a nice detail of this. Each vector is resolved into component vectors. For 2-dimensions, it is an x-component and a y-component. Then the respective components are added. These added components make up the resultant vector.


What is the rule for adding vectors?

The general rule for adding vectors is to hook them together "head to tail" and then draw in a resultant vector. The resultant will have the magnitude and direction that represents the sum of the two vectors that were added.


When adding two vectors at right angles is the resultant of the vectors the algebraic sum of the two vectors?

No. Vectors add at rightangle bythe pythagoran theorem: resultant sum = square root of (vector 1 squared + vector 2 squared)


Can two vectors of unequal magnitude add up to give the zero vector?

No. The vector resultant of addition of vectors is the vector that would connect the tail of the first vector to the head of the last. For any set of vectors to add to the zero vector, the endpoint of the last vector added must be coincident with the start point of the first. Therefore for the sum of only two vectors to have a chance of being the zero vector, the second vector must be in a direction exactly opposite the first. So you can tell that the result of adding the two vectors could only can be zero vector if the two vectors were of two equal magnitude.