Additional Math Project Work 2014

APPLICATION OF VECTOR















Name : Shelyn Hiew Sam Tien
I/C No. : 970922-12-XXXX
Class : 5D


Content


Content Page
Part 1 1
Part 2 4
Part 3 10
Further Exploration 13
Conclusion 15
Reflection 16






Part 1
A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. We can represent a
vector as a directed line segment as shown in Diagram 1, where the length is the
magnitude of the vector, and the arrow indicates the direction. The direction of the
vector is from its tail to its head.































Tail
Head
1. Write briefly the history of vectors.
The parallelogram law for the addition of vectors is so intuitive that its origin is unknown. It may have
appeared in a now lost work of Aristotle (384--322 B.C.), and it is in the Mechanics of Heron (first
century A.D.) of Alexandria. It was also the first corollary in Isaac Newtons (1642--1727) Principia
Mathematica (1687). In the Principia, Newton dealt extensively with what are now considered
vectorial entities (e.g., velocity, force), but never the concept of a vector. The systematic study and
use of vectors were a 19
th
and early 20
th
century phenomenon.
Vectors were born in the first two decades of the 19
th
century with the geometric
representations of complex numbers. Caspar Wessel (1745--1818), Jean Robert Argand (1768--
1822),Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777--1855), and at least one or two others conceived of complex
numbers as points in the two-dimensional plane, i.e., as two-dimensional vectors.
In 1827, August Ferdinand Mbius published a short book, The Barycentric Calculus, in which
he introduced directed line segments that he denoted by letters of the alphabet, vectors in all but the
name. After a good deal of frustration, Hamilton was finally inspired to give up the search for such a
three-dimensional "number" system and instead he invented a four-dimensional system that he
called quaternions. At about the same time that Hamilton discovered quaternions, Hermann
Grassmann (1809--1877) was composing The Calculus of Extension (1844), now well known by its
German title, Ausdehnungslehre. During the middle of the nineteenth century, Benjamin Peirce (1809-
-1880) was far and away the most prominent mathematician in the United States, and he referred to
Hamilton as, "the monumental author of quaternions.
James Clerk Maxwell (1831--1879) was a discerning and critical proponent of
quaternions. William Kingdon Clifford (1845--1879) expressed "profound admiration" for
Grassmanns Ausdehnungslehre and clearly favored vectors, which he often called steps, over
quaternions. The development of the algebra of vectors and of vector analysis as we know it today
was first revealed in sets of remarkable notes made by J. Willard Gibbs (1839--1903) for his students
at Yale University. Vectors are now the modern language of a great deal of physics and applied
mathematics and they continue to hold their own intrinsic mathematical interest.







2. List down 5 vector quantities.

Velocity, Acceleration, Momentum, Displacement, Force

3. Explain briefly, a situation that involves the application of vectors.

Ants use a mechanism called path integration, which requires them to measure distances and
direction. As an illustration, look at the zig-zag path shown in blue in figure 1, representing a foraging
path made up of several segments, starting from the nest at point Each segment is
represented by a vector, for example the first segment is given by the vector The sum of
the first vectors gives you a vector which points from the origin to the current location. The
negative of the vector points from the current location straight back to the nest. So to know your way
back home, you don't need to remember all the vectors you travelled along you simply add the
current one to the last total and take the negative.

Ants can approximate distances by counting their steps and use the position of the Sun as a
compass to keep track of the direction of each segment of an outward foraging route. Through
evolution, ants have developed neural circuits in their brain which can take information about distance
and direction and produce an output which is an approximation of the appropriate vector maths. The
result is a continuously updated home vector. The ants use this information when they have found
food or if they are attacked by a predator and need to get back home quick.











Part 2
A Boeing 737 aircraft maintains a constant velocity of 800 kilometers per hour due
South. The velocity of the jet stream is 100 kilometers per hour in the Northeast
direction.

1. Sketch the given vectors, with initial points at the origin, as accurately as possible
on your graph paper. Scale your axes.

(Please refer to graph 1a)

2. a) Determine the angle, , in degrees, for each vector measured in an anticlockwise
direction from the positive x-axis. Then, state the magnitude of each vector.

Let

Boeing be the vector of Boeing 737 aircraft and

jet stream be the vector jet stream.

Angle of

Boeing = 270
Angle of

jet stream = 45
Magnitude of

Boeing, |

|= 800kmh
-1

Magnitude of

jet stream, |

| = 100kmh
-1










b) Express each vector above in the form = + and = (

).
Use exact values (surds) for each vector and show your working.

Boeing = -80 or

Boeing = (

)
|

| = 100 =
100 = , since it is Northeasterly direction

= , hence

= 5000 =

= 5000 =

jet stream = or

jet stream = (

)

























3. The actual course of the plane is the sum of the two given vectors as stated in
question 2(a) above. This is called the resultant vector,

.

a) Would you use the Triangle Law or the Parallelogram Law to find this sum?
Explain your choice.

Triangle Law. In the triangle law, the second vector is used when starting at the terminus
of the first vector and then join the base of the first vector to the terminus of the second
vector, thereby completing a triangle, to obtain the resultant vector.

b) i) Based on your choice in 3(a), draw the resultant vector,

, by using a
suitable scale.

(Please refer to graph 3b)

ii) Hence, find the magnitude and direction of the resultant vector from 3(b)
above.

732.71kmh
-1
The direction of the resultant vector,

, from the positive -axis is 275.5 .

4. a) By using another method, find the magnitude of the resultant vector,

.
Show your working.

Resultant vector,

R
=

Boeing
+

jet stream

R
=

R
= ( )
|

| =

= 732.71km
-1









b) Find the bearing of the resultant vector, , in degrees. Give your answer correct to one
decimal place.

x 100
BAC = 5.54

The direction of resultant vector,

= from the positive -axis is 270 + 5.54

= 275.54











Part 3

An aircraft is h km above the ground at point P when it starts to land on point A with
angle of depression of 39.






































a) Calculate the velocity of the aircraft when it descends from point B to point A.
State your assumption(s).


Assume that the aircraft maintains a constant velocity of 90kmh
-1
to point C.
Let |

| be velocity of the aircraft.

=

|

|

| =

= 115.81 km/h




b) Based on Diagram 4 and your answer in Part 3(a), calculate the horizontal
component and the vertical component of vector

= 90
|

| =

= 72.88km/h

= -72.88













c) If the aircraft eventually lands on point A within the range 7 8 minutes, what is
the range of the values of h? Give your answers correct to two decimal places.


Distance BA at 7 minutes = 115.81 x

= 13.51km


=

BP = x 13.51
= 8.50 km

Distance BA at 8 minutes = 115.81 x

= 15.44km

=

BP = x 15.44
= 9.72km

Hence, 8.50km BP 9.72km
FURTHER EXPLORATION








































Magnitude =

=
= 81.85 km/h

x 90
= 72.22

180- 60- 72.22
Direction = S(180- 60- 72.22)E
= S47.78E




Conclusion

Vectors can be directed due East, due West, due South, and due North. But some vectors are
directed northeast (at a 45 degree angle); and some vectors are even directed northeast, yet more
north than east. Thus, there is a clear need for some form of a convention for identifying the direction
of a vector that is not due East, due West, due South, or due North. There are a variety of
conventions for describing the direction of any vector.

In conclusion, vectors can be represented by use of a scaled vector diagram. On such a
diagram, a vector arrow is drawn to represent the vector. The arrow has an obvious tail and
arrowhead. The magnitude of a vector is represented by the length of the arrow. A scale is indicated
(such as, 1 cm = 5 miles) and the arrow is drawn the proper length according to the chosen scale.
The arrow points in the precise direction. Directions are described by the use of some convention.
The most common convention is that the direction of a vector is the counter clockwise angle of
rotation which that vector makes with respect to due East.











Reflection

In this additional mathematics project work, a lot of information that I found. I have learnt how vectors
appear in our daily life. Apart from that, this project encourages the student to work together and
share their knowledge. It is also encourage student to gather information from the internet, improve
thinking skills and promote effective mathematical communication. Not only that, I
had learned some moral values that I practice.

This project had taught me to responsible on the works that are
given to me to be completed. This project also had made me felt more
confidence to do works and not to give easily when we could not find the solution for the question. I
also learned to be more discipline on time, which I was given
about one week to complete this project and pass up to my
teacher just in time.

Last but not least, I proposed this project should be
continue because it brings a lot of moral value to the student
and also test the students understanding in Additional Mathematics.