Vectors are usually decomposed into their orthogonal components so to derive equations along those orthogonal axes.
For example, consider a ball thrown at an angle to the horizon and assume, for the sake of simplicity, that the only force acting on it is gravity. Then, if you decompose the vector representing the initial velocity into a horizontal and vertical component, the former will not be affected by another force while the latter will be affected by gravitational acceleration. That will give you an equation which will enable you to work out the flight time and therefore the distance that the ball will travel.
The important thing is that vectors at right angles to one another do not interact. So if you can decompose a vector along orthogonal lines, any other vector at right angles to the original, can be ignored.
Their directions are perpendicular.
It comes from the Law of Cosines. * * * * * For any two vectors A and B, the projection of A onto B, that is, the component of A along B, is ab.cos(x) where x is the angle between the two vectors. By symmetry, this is also the projectoin of B onto A.
The smallest magnitude resulting from the addition of vectors with individual magnitudes of 4 and 3 is 1, obtained when the directions of the two component vectors are 180 degrees apart.
The component vector sum is zero and the all components cancel out.:)
Oh, dude, okay, so like, a resultant vector is the overall effect of two or more vectors combined, while a component vector is just one of the vectors that make up the resultant. It's like saying the whole pizza is the resultant, and the pepperoni and cheese slices are the component vectors. So, basically, the resultant is the big picture, and the components are just the pieces that make it up.
The resultant of two vectors can be computed analytically using the parallelogram law, which states that the sum of the two vectors forms a diagonal of the parallelogram they define. This diagonal represents the resultant vector, and its magnitude and direction can be determined using trigonometric functions based on the component vectors.
resultant vector is a vector which will have the same effect as the sum of all the component vectors taken together.
This question is unfortunately not specific enough. Depending on your criteria you can arbitrarily divide vectors into two (or more) classes. For example I can divide all vectors into those with length 1 and those of other lengths.
To add the x and y components of two vectors, you add the x components together to get the resultant x component, and then add the y components together to get the resultant y component. This gives you the sum vector of the two original vectors.
Their directions are perpendicular.
1) Graphically. Move one of the vectors (without rotating it) so that its tail coincides with the head of the other vector. 2) Analytically (mathematically), by adding components. For example, in two dimensions, separate each vector into an x-component and a y-component, and add the components of the different vectors.
It comes from the Law of Cosines. * * * * * For any two vectors A and B, the projection of A onto B, that is, the component of A along B, is ab.cos(x) where x is the angle between the two vectors. By symmetry, this is also the projectoin of B onto A.
The smallest magnitude resulting from the addition of vectors with individual magnitudes of 4 and 3 is 1, obtained when the directions of the two component vectors are 180 degrees apart.
No matter what the angles are:* Express the vectors in Cartesian (rectangular) coordinates; in two dimensions, this would usually mean separating them into an x-component and a y-component. * Add the components of all the vectors. For example, the x-component of the resultant vector will be the sum of the x-components of all the other vectors. * If you so wish (or the teacher so wishes!), convert the resulting vector back into polar coordinates (i.e., distance and direction).
The component method of adding vectors involves breaking down each vector into its horizontal and vertical components. Then, add the horizontal components together to get the resultant horizontal component, and add the vertical components together to get the resultant vertical component. Finally, combine these two resultant components to find the resultant vector.
Two methods can be used for vector addition. (1) Graphically. Place the vectors head-to-tail, without changing their direction or size. (2) Analytically, that is, mathematically. Add the x-component and the y-component separately. The z-component too, if the vectors are in three dimensions.
Component vectors can be used with a variety of different used in physics, including displacement, force, acceleration, electric field, etc.