How to break 5√2?
- Thread starter Indranil
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Say, a and b are two vectors. a faces east and b faces north and c is their resultant facing north-east. If the resultant vector is 5√2 using triangle law, how to find a vector and b vector?Wow, 218 posts and you still don't follow the guidelines.
Please post the exact exercise statement. Your question is too vague because infinite pairs of vectors possible. Which pair are you talking about? Does it even matter?
Harry_the_cat
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Draw a triangle showing the vector a going east and then the vector b going north. The hypotenuse represents the resultant vector c of magnitude \(\displaystyle 5\sqrt2\). North-east means the angle is 45 degrees. Does that help?
But how to find a and b from the resultant c (\(\displaystyle 5\sqrt2\))?
Dr.Peterson
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You are aware, I hope, that [MATH]5\sqrt{2}[/MATH] is a scalar, not a vector.
Once you actually stated the problem, it became clear that you are asking about the horizontal and vertical components of a vector with that length, whose direction is a 45 degree angle from the horizontal.
The triangle you were told to draw has hypotenuse [MATH]5\sqrt{2}[/MATH], and is a right isosceles triangle. You should have learned about the ratio of the legs to the hypotenuse in such a triangle, from which the answer is almost immediate. But if not, what do you know about the relationship of the legs and the hypotenuse of a right triangle in terms of the sine and cosine?
If that's not enough, please tell us what you do know about vectors, so we can start there.
Once you actually stated the problem, it became clear that you are asking about the horizontal and vertical components of a vector with that length, whose direction is a 45 degree angle from the horizontal.
The triangle you were told to draw has hypotenuse [MATH]5\sqrt{2}[/MATH], and is a right isosceles triangle. You should have learned about the ratio of the legs to the hypotenuse in such a triangle, from which the answer is almost immediate. But if not, what do you know about the relationship of the legs and the hypotenuse of a right triangle in terms of the sine and cosine?
If that's not enough, please tell us what you do know about vectors, so we can start there.