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AP Precalculus
Unit 4: Functions Involving Parameters, Vectors, and Matrices
4.3 Using vectors to describe motion of an object
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A scalar has both magnitude and direction
False
The direction of a vector is the angle it makes with the positive x-axis
True
What does a position vector describe?
The location of an object
An object with a position vector
r
=
\mathbf{r} =
r
=
(
3
t
,
4
t
)
(3t, 4t)
(
3
t
,
4
t
)
has a velocity vector
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
3
,
4
)
(3, 4)
(
3
,
4
)
m/s, indicating its constant speed and direction.
What does the direction of a vector represent?
The angle with the x-axis
The displacement vector describes the change in
position
of an object
True
To calculate the displacement, subtract the corresponding
components
A position vector locates an object in a coordinate
system
r
f
=
\mathbf{r}_{f} =
r
f
=
(
x
f
,
y
f
)
(x_{f}, y_{f})
(
x
f
,
y
f
)
represents the final position
What is the formula to express displacement as a vector difference?
\mathbf{d} = \mathbf{r}_{f} - \mathbf{r}_{i}</latex>
An object moving from (2, 3) to (5, 7) has a displacement of (3,
4
).
True
If a vector
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
3
,
4
)
(3, 4)
(
3
,
4
)
, what is its magnitude?
5 units/second
What is the formula for adding two motion vectors \mathbf{v}_{1} = (x_{1}, y_{1})</latex> and
v
2
=
\mathbf{v}_{2} =
v
2
=
(
x
2
,
y
2
)
(x_{2}, y_{2})
(
x
2
,
y
2
)
?
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
x
1
+
(x_{1} +
(
x
1
+
x
2
,
y
1
+
x_{2}, y_{1} +
x
2
,
y
1
+
y
2
)
y_{2})
y
2
)
Adding
v
1
=
\mathbf{v}_{1} =
v
1
=
(
3
,
4
)
(3, 4)
(
3
,
4
)
and
v
2
=
\mathbf{v}_{2} =
v
2
=
(
−
1
,
2
)
( - 1, 2)
(
−
1
,
2
)
results in
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
2
,
6
)
(2, 6)
(
2
,
6
)
.
True
A ball thrown at 10 m/s at 30 degrees has a horizontal component of 8.66 m/s.
True
Steps to solve real-world motion problems with vectors:
1️⃣ Sketch the problem and label vector components
2️⃣ Apply relevant formulas
3️⃣ Calculate unknowns
4️⃣ Write a concise summary
What is a vector in the context of motion description?
A quantity with magnitude and direction
How is the magnitude of a vector
v
\mathbf{v}
v
calculated?
|\mathbf{v}| = \sqrt{v_{x}^{2} + v_{y}^{2}}</latex>
An object moving 10 meters east at a 30-degree angle can be represented as a vector with magnitude 10 and direction
30
degrees.
What is the formula for the velocity vector
v
\mathbf{v}
v
?
\mathbf{v} = \frac{d\mathbf{r}}{dt}</latex>
The
magnitude
of a vector is always positive
True
Displacement is the vector that describes the change in
position
Match the quantity type with its characteristics:
Scalar ↔️ Magnitude only
Vector ↔️ Magnitude and direction
What is the formula for displacement as a vector difference?
d
=
\mathbf{d} =
d
=
r
f
−
r
i
\mathbf{r}_{f} - \mathbf{r}_{i}
r
f
−
r
i
An object moving from (2, 3) to (5, 7) has a displacement of (3,
4
).
True
Match the concept with its definition:
Displacement Vector ↔️ Change in position
Final Position ↔️ Endpoint of displacement
Initial Position ↔️ Starting point of displacement
The direction of a vector is measured as the angle from the positive
x-axis
The direction of a vector
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
3
,
4
)
(3, 4)
(
3
,
4
)
is approximately 53.13 degrees.
True
The magnitude of a vector is defined as its
length
After sketching the problem, the next step is to apply relevant
formulas
The magnitude of a vector is its
length
What is the formula for calculating the direction
θ
\theta
θ
of a vector?
θ
=
\theta =
θ
=
tan
−
1
(
v
y
v
x
)
\tan^{ - 1}\left(\frac{v_{y}}{v_{x}}\right)
tan
−
1
(
v
x
v
y
)
The velocity vector is the rate of change of the position vector with respect to
time
True
How does a vector differ from a scalar?
A vector has direction
How is displacement calculated as a vector difference?
d
=
\mathbf{d} =
d
=
r
f
−
r
i
\mathbf{r}_{f} - \mathbf{r}_{i}
r
f
−
r
i
The magnitude of a vector
v
=
\mathbf{v} =
v
=
(
v
x
,
v
y
)
(v_{x}, v_{y})
(
v
x
,
v
y
)
is calculated as \sqrt{v_{x}^{2} + v_{y}^{2}}
Displacement can be expressed as the vector difference between the final and initial
positions
What is the definition of the displacement vector?
Change in position
r
f
=
\mathbf{r}_{f} =
r
f
=
(
x
f
,
y
f
)
(x_{f}, y_{f})
(
x
f
,
y
f
)
represents the final position
What does the magnitude of a vector represent?
Length of the vector
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