Science

 systematized body of knowledge that is based on facts gathered through observations, experiences,
and experiments in order to formulate a verifiable conclusion or law that serves as basis of
technology for the benefit of man and his environment.

3 main roots (bringing about the birth of science)

a. needs
b. problems
c. curiosity

3 main branches
1. social science
- deals with human behavior
- social and cultural aspects

 Politics
 Economics
 History

2. applied science
 application of the theoretical sciences like social sciences and natural sciences (e.g. medicine,
engineering, architecture

3. natural science
 understanding and description of nature

a. Biological science
- Zoology
- Botany
- Microbiology

b. Physical science
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Geology
- Astronomy
- Meteorology

1 Dorothy D. Silva 
PHYSICS
- Greek word “physikos” meaning natural
- study of matter and energy

Branches
1. Classical Physics
o Traditional topics
o Before beginning of the 20th century
o Matter and energy under normal conditions

a. Mechanics
o Study of forces acting on bodies whether at rest or in motion
- Statics – on forces acting on bodies at rest
- Kinematics – on motion without regard to its cause
- Dynamics – on motion and the forces that affect it

b. acoustics – production and propagation of sound waves

c. optics – study of light

- physical optics – production, nature and properties of light
- physiological optics – on the part played by light in vision
- geometrical optics – reflection and refraction of light

d. thermodynamics – relationship of heat and other forms of energy

e. electromagnetism – properties of electric current and magnetism

- electrostatics
- electrodynamics
- magnetostatics

2. Modern Physics
a. Concerned with the behavior of matter and energy under extreme conditions
a. Atomic or nuclear physics – study of the components, structure and behavior of the nucleus
of the atom
b. Quantum physics – study of the discrete nature of phenomena at the atomic and subatomic
levels; its focus is on the indivisible units of energy called “quanta”
c. Relativistic physics – study of phenomena that take place in a frame of reference that is in
motion with respect to an observer
d. Solid state physics – study of all properties of solid materials, including electrical conduction
in crystals of semiconductors and metals, superconductivity and photoconductivity
e. Condensed matter physics – study of the properties of condensed materials (solids, liquids,
and those intermediate between them, and dense gas) with the ultimate goal of developing new
materials with better properties; it is an extension of Solid State Physics
f. Plasma physics – study of the fourth state of matter, plasma
g. Low-temperature physics (Cryogenics) – study of the production and maintenance of
temperatures down to almost absolute zero, and the various phenomena that occur only at such
temperatures

2 Dorothy D. Silva 
Physics and Technology
1. Physics and Economy
2. Physics an the Environment
3. Physics in the Home
4. Physics in Transportation
5. Physics in Communication and Information
6. Physics and Medicine

 Computer Tomography (CT) Scanner converts X-ray pictures into computer codes to make
clear and sharp images on a screen.
 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) makes use of the effect of the magnetic field
surrounding the human body on the nuclei of the hydrogen atoms of water inside the body.
 Single Photon Emission Computer Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography
(PET) make use of radioactive tracers to determine blood flow, blockages and constrictions in
the hear, brain and other vital organs.
 An endoscope is used in the diagnosis of vital organs without surgery.
 Laser is used to weld the detached retina of the eye and for bloodless surgery.
 Cryogenics is used to preserve vital body organs awaiting transplantation.

FUNDAMENTALS OF MEASUREMENT

 MEASUREMENT is comparing a thing with a standard to see how many times as big it is
 MEASUREMENT is a process that uses a well-defined and agreed upon referent (the thing a word
stands for) to describe a standard unit
 MEASUREMENT in chemistry enables us to understand many properties of matter that is why it
must be accurate (agrees with the true value of the quantity being measured; degree of agreement
between a measured value and the true value) and precise (it is reproducible; degree of exactness to
which a measurement can be reproduced; degree of the instrument’s exactness).

A. Kinds of Measurable Quantities

1. Fundamental Quantities
 measured by direct method
 length (m), mass (kg), time (s), temperature (K), charge (c), amount of substance (mol),
light intensity (cd), electric current (A)

2. Derived Quantities
 other physical quantities are formulated based from the fundamental quantities
 area, volume, speed, pressure, density, specific heat

3 Dorothy D. Silva 
 B. Systems of Measurement
1. English System
 known as the British Gravitational System
 standard units are based on body parts
a. inch – end joint of the thumb (uncia)
b. foot – length of the foot (30.48 cm)
c. yard – distance from the tip of the nose to the end of the middle finger (3ft or 0.9144 m)
d. cubit – distance from the end of the elbow to the fingertip (18 in or 46 cm)
e. fathom – distance between the fingertips of two arms held straight out (6 ft or 1.8 m)


Philippines
a. dama (palm) – width of the palm
b. dali (digit) – breadth of a finger
c. talampakan (foot)
d. timuro – length of a forefinger
e. hakbang – a single stride
f. dakot – a handful
g. gusi – a jar used to measure volume of liquids like tuba and vinegar
h. kaing – a container used to measure the amount of harvested mangoes, tomatoes and salt

2. Metric System

established by the French Academy of Sciences in 1791

decimal-based system of units which was proposed in France by Gabriel Mouton

International Systems of Units

SI (System International)

Measurement Unit Symbol

Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
Thermodynamic temperature Kelvin K
Electric current ampere A
Amount of substance mole mol
Luminous intensity candela cd
Charge coulomb c

Did you know that…

Scientists chose the speed of light in a vacuum as the basis for the meter because this has been
measured exactly, probably with a very very very small degree of uncertainty. Moreover, the speed of light
does not change through the years. (speed of light = 299,792,458 meters per second)

The standard clock must be accurate enough to move to the second as stated in the definition. So
the atomic clock was made, containing Cesium-133 and converting its transitions to ticks in the clock. The
atomic clock is the internationally recognized timekeeping device. All clocks around the world must be
synchronized to the time of this device. These clocks are so accurate that they gain or lose one second
every 1.7 million years.

4 Dorothy D. Silva 
Prefixes for metric units
1024 yotta (Y) 10-1 deci (d)
1021 zetta (Z) 10-2 centi (c)
1018 exa (E) 10-3 milli (m)
1015 peta (P) 10-6 micro (µ)
1012 tera (T) 10-9 nano (n)
109 giga (G) 10-12 pico (p)
106 mega (M) 10-15 femto (f)
103 kilo (K) 10-18 atto (a)
102 hecto (h) 10-21 zepto (z)
101 deka (da) 10-24 yocto (y)

Errors in Measurement
- temperature
- magnetic fields

parallax
o systematic errors (determinate)
o random errors (indeterminate)

Accuracy

degree of agreement between a measured value and the true value

5 Dorothy D. Silva 
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
 They comprise all digits that are known with certainty plus the first digit that is uncertain. The
position of the decimal point is relevant.

Rules in counting significant figures

Rule Measurement Significant

Expression Figures

1. All nonzero digits are significant. 14567.3 6

34.128 5
3.986 4

2. All zeros between two nonzero digits are 34.0045 6

significant. 1.00006017 9
20037089 8

3. Zeros to the right of a nonzero digit, but to the 108,000000 3

left of an understood decimal point, are not 108,0000 _ 4
significant unless specifically indicated as 108,000000 9
significant by a bar placed above the rightmost,
such zero becomes significant.

4. All zeros to the right of a decimal point but to 0.000509 3

the left of a nonzero digit are not significant.* 0.02876 4
0.0000036 2

5. All zeros to the right of a decimal point and to 0.4087 4

the right of a nonzero digit are significant. 0.030670890 8
700.00000000 11

*The single zero conventionally placed to the left of a decimal point in such an expression is never
significant. It is just used to locate the decimal point.

OPERATIONS WITH SIGNIFICANT FIGURES

 Addition and Subtraction

The answer must contain the same number of decimal places as the term with the least number of
decimal places.

Examples:
a. 20.63 + 6.6 cm + 3. 786 cm = 31.016 cm ans. 31.0 cm
b. 387.876 L – 197.23L = 190.646 L ans. 190.65 L

6 Dorothy D. Silva 
 Multiplication and Division
The answer must contain the same number of significant figures as the term with the least number of
significant figures.

Examples:
a. 9.25 m x 0.52 m x 11. 35m = 54.5935 m3 ans. 55 m3
b. 69.48 m by 3.62 s = 19.19337017 m/s ans. 19.2 m/s

Perform these operations with significant digits: Answers:

1. 24.687 m + 2.33 m + 3.2 m 1. 30.2 m
2. 9.46 cm + 25.45 cm + 491.55 cm + 9.0972 cm + 11.8 cm 2. 547.4 cm
3. 28.63 L – 15.4 L 3. 13.2 L
4. 3.22 m x 2.2 m 4. 7.1 m2
5. 2.567 cm x 3.02 cm x 0.0021 cm 5. 0.016 cm3
6. 36.5 m / 3.1416 s 6. 11.5 m/s
7. 28.653 m + 37.35 m + 13.1 m 7. 79.1 m
8. 420.171 mL – 220.57 mL 8. 199.60 mL
9. 7.3 s x 2.25 s 9. 16 s2
10. 72.8 kg – 2.95 kg 10. 69.9 kg

ROUNDING OFF NUMBERS

1. If the figure to be dropped is five, or greater than five, increase by one the value of the last figure
to be retained.
Examples:
a) 78.567 rounded off to the nearest hundredths place is 78.57
b) 123.345 rounded off to the nearest hundredths place is 123.35
c) 457.9679 rounded off to the nearest thousandths place is 457.968

2. If the figure to be dropped is less than five, the last figure to be retained should not be changed.
Examples:
a) 5.052 rounded off to the nearest hundredths place is 5.05.
b) 136.324 rounded off to the nearest ones place is 136
c) 98230.478 rounded off to the nearest tens place is 98230

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION
 Method of writing or expressing very large or very small numbers into its exponential form.

Form: M x 10n
Where: M - number lower than one and not greater than ten
N - number of times the decimal point is moved. It can be
a positive or negative integer.

7 Dorothy D. Silva 
Rules:
1. Determine M by moving the decimal point in the original number to the left or right so that the
only one nonzero digit is to the left of it.
2. Determine n by counting the number of places the decimal point has been moved.
If moved to the left, n is positive.
If moved to the right, n is negative.

Examples:
Diameter of the earth
Diameter of a hydrogen atom
Speed of light
Positional form Exponential form
= 1 300 000 000 ans. 1.3 x 109 cm
= 0.000 000 01 cm ans. 1 x 10- 8 cm
= 30 000 000 000 cm/s ans. 3 x 1010cm/s

Perform these operations using scientific notation: Answers:

1. (1230) + (500) 1. 1.73 x 103
2. (0.00003574) (7520) 2. 2.69 x 10-1
3. (0.000075) / (1500) 3. 5.00 x 10-9
4. (4.92 x 106) + (2.7 x 108) 4. 2.75 x 108
5. (6.85 x 105) x (2.38 x 10-3) 5. 1.63 x 103
6. (4.932 x 10-4) / (6.429 x 102) 6. 7.67 x 10-7
7. (9.67 x 104) + (8.09 x 103) + (3.632 x 102) 7. 1.05 x 105
8. (4.753 x 10-5) + (7.49 x 10-6) – (5.25 x 10-7) 8. 5.45 x 10-5
9. (2.94 x 103) (9.432 x 10-5) 9. 2.77 x 10-1
10. (5.432 x 10-8) / (1.495 x 10-10) 10. 3.63 x 102

CONVERSION OF UNITS
 A unit conversion factor is used to covert a quantity in one system of units to corresponding
quantity in another system of units.

METRIC to ENGLISH ENGLISH to METRIC

1cm = 0.3937 in = 0.03281 ft 1 in = 2.54 cm = 0.0254 m

1m = 39.37 in 3.281 ft = 1.094 yd 1ft = 30.5 cm = 0.305 m

1 km = 3281 ft = 0.6214 mi 1 yd = 91.4 cm = 0.914 m

1cm3 = 0.0610 in3 0.0000 353 ft3 1 mi = 1609 m =1.609 km

1L = 1.06 qt = 0.265 gal = 0.0353 ft3 1 qt = 946 ml = 0.946 L

1g = 0.0353 oz = 0.00220 lb 1 oz = 28350 mg = 28.35 g

1kg = 2.20 lb = 0.00110 tn 1lb = 453.6 g = 0.4536 kg

1 metric tn (103kg)= 2200 lb = 1.10 tn 1 tn =907 kg = 0.907 metric tn

8 Dorothy D. Silva 
Temperature:
K = C + 273 C = K – 273 C = (F - 32) x 5/9 F = (C x 9/5) + 32

Body Surface Area:

height in cm x weight in kg
BSA =
3600

Perform these operations using scientific notation: Answers:

1. 3.67 x 10-1 km to m 1. 367 m
2. 9.752 x 105 m to Mm 2. 0.98 Mm
3. 6.924 x 104 km to Gm 3. 6.92 x 10-6 Gm
4. 2.673 x 102 mm to cm 4. 26.73 cm
5. 3.904 x 104 mL to L 5. 39.04 L
6. 6.2 m to ft 6. 20.34 ft
7. 85 lbs to kg 7. 38.64 kg
8. 5’3” to cm 8. 160.02 cm
9. 145 km/s to mi/h 9. 3.24 x 105 mi/h
10. 9.8 m/s2 to ft/min2 10. 1.16 x 105 ft/min2
11. 11.5 m/s to km/hr 11. 41.4 km/hr
12. 250 Kelvin to Celsius 12. -23 oC
13. 339 Kelvin to Celsius 13. 66 oC
14. 17 Celsius to Kelvin 14. 290 K
15. 55 Celsius to Kelvin 15. 328 K
16. 89.5 Fahrenheit to Celsius 16. 31.9 oC
17. 383 Kelvin to Fahrenheit 17. 230 oF
18. Your BSA 18. _____
19. 120 mg/kg/day 19. _____
a. mg (50 kg in 1 day) a. 6000 mg in 1 day
b. mg (120 lbs in 3 days) b. 19638 mg in 3 days

9 Dorothy D. Silva 
Equations: Relationships
A. Direct Proportion

y is directly proportional to x
yαx
y = kx
k = y/x
C = πD

B. Inverse Proportion

y is inversely proportional to x
y α 1/x
y = k/x
k = yx
PV = k

10 Dorothy D. Silva 
C. Direct Square Proportion

y α x2
y = kx2
k = y/x2
A = πr2

D. Inverse Square Proportion

y α 1/x2
y = k/x2
k = yx2
mv2 = k

11 Dorothy D. Silva 
1. Table 1: Length of vibrating string and frequency of notes
l (m) 7.5 15 20 ? 80 240
f (cy/s) 1024 512 384 128 96 ?

2. Table 2: Stretching Force and Elongation of Spring

F (N) 8 15 25 37.5 ?
e (m) 3.2 6 ? 15 22

For each table:

a. Plot the points in a graph.
b. Describe the relationship that exists between the given physical quantities.
c. Express the relationship in equation form.
d. Complete the tables.

q1 q 2
3. Given the equation, F = k
d2
Find:
a. Equation for
a. q1
b. D
c. q2
b. the relationship between
a. F and d
b. F and q1
c. q2 and d

12 Dorothy D. Silva 
1. Table 1: Length of vibrating string and frequency of notes
l (m) 7.5 15 20 60 80 240
f (cy/s) 1024 512 384 128 96 32
Length is inversely proportional to frequency.
lf = k

2. Table 2: Stretching Force and Elongation of Spring

F (N) 8 15 25 37.5 55
e (m) 3.2 6 10 15 22
Force is directly proportional to elongation.
F
=k
e
q1 q 2
3. Given the equation, F = k
d2
Find:
a. Equation for
Fd 2
a. q1 =
kq 2
q1 q 2
b. d = k
F
Fd 2
c. q2 =
kq1
b. the relationship between
a. inverse square
b. direct
c. direct square

13 Dorothy D. Silva 
TRIANGLE
 Is the union of three segments determined by three noncollinear points

A C
D

 Sides: AB CB Altitude: BD
 Base: AC Hypotenuse: AB CB
Base: AD CD

 Perimeter = S1 + S2 + S3
 Area = ½ bh

Did you know that…

Bermuda Triangle (deadly triangle)
National Airlines Flight 727

Pythagorean Theorem

Greek mathematician Pythagoras of Samos

c2 = a2 + b2

Trigonometry
 deals with the relations between angles and sides of triangles
 Basic Trigonometric Functions

c
a

C A
b

opposite adjacent opposite

sine A = cosine A = tangent A =
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent

 Confunction:
hypotenuse hypotenuse adjacent
cos A = secA = cot A =
opposite adjacent opposite

Examples

14 Dorothy D. Silva 
1. In a right triangle ABC, where C is the right angle, angle A is 30°. The
hypotenuse is 8.0 cm. What is the length of side a and of side b?
2. In a right triangle ABC, where C is the right angle, B = 64° and b = 25. Find a
and c.
3. In a right triangle ABC, where C is the right angle, b = 25.0 and a = 9.0. Find c
and b.

The Law of Sines

 Applies to all triangles
 Measure of one side and other two measures
a b c
o = =
sin A sin B sin C
Examples:
1. a = 4 cm; c = 4.6 cm: C = 60°; A = ?
2. b = 4; A = 75°; B = 34°; a = ?
3. On a hill, inclined at angle of 14.2° with the horizontal, stands a vertical
tower. At a point P, 62.5 m down the hill from the foot of the tower, the angle of elevation of the top of
the tower is 43.6°. How tall is the tower?
4. A ladder 35.4 ft long is leaning against an embankment inclined at 62.5° to
the horizontal. If the bottom of the ladder is 10.2 ft from the embankment, what is the distance from
the top of the ladder down the embankment to the ground?
5. A building is locate4d at the end of a street that is inclined at an angle of
8.4° with the horizontal. At a point P, 210 m down the street from the building, the angle subtended by
the building is 15.6°. How tall is the building?
6. A flagpole is situated at the top of a building 115 ft tall. From a point in
the same horizontal plane as the base of the building, the angles of elevation of the top and bottom of
the flagpole are 63.2° and 58.6°, respectively. How tall is the flagpole?
7. To determine the distance across a straight river, a surveyor chooses two
point P and Q on the bank where the distance between P and Q is 200 m. At each of these points, a point
R on the opposite bank is sighted. The angle having sides PQ and PR is measured to be 63.1° and the
angle having sides PQ and QR is measured to be 80.4°. What is the distance across the river?
8. A ramp is inclined at angle of 41.3° with the ground. One end of a board,
20.6 ft in length, is located on the ground at a point P, 12.2 ft from the base Q of the ramp, and the
other end rests on the ramp at point R. Find the distance from point Q up the ramp to point R.

15 Dorothy D. Silva 
The Law of Cosines
 Applies to all triangles
 Measure of two sides and the included angle between them is known
 If an angle is more than 90, then its cosine is negative and numerically equal to the cosine of its
supplement
o c2 = a2 + b2 – 2ab cos C
o b2 = c2 + a2 – 2ac cos B
o a2 = c2 + b2 – 2bc cos A

Examples:
1. a = 4 cm; b = 5 cm; C = 60°; c = ?
2. a = 24; c = 32; B = 64°; b = ?
3. Two ships leave the same port at the same time. One ship sails on a course of 125° at
18 knots while the other sails on a course of 230° at 24 knots. Find after 3 hours the distance between
the ships.
4. A tower 23.5 m tall makes an angle of 110.2° with the inclined road on which it is
located. Determine the angle subtended by the tower at a point down the road 28.2 m from its foot.
5. A point P is 1.4 km from one end of a lake and 2.2 km from the other end. If at P the
lake subtends an angle of 54°, what is the length of the lake?
6. Two points P and Q are on opposite sides of a building. To determine the distance
between these points, a third point R is selected where the distance from P to R is 50.2 m and the
distance from Q to R is 61.4 m. The angle formed by the line segments PR and QR is measured as 62.5°.
Determine the distance from P to Q.
7. Two straight roads intersect at a point P and make an angle of 42.6° there. At a point
R on one road is a building that is 368 m from P and at a point S on the other road is a building that is
426 m from P. Determine the direct distance from R to S.

16 Dorothy D. Silva 
Physical Quantities
1. Scalars
 Can be described by a single number giving its size or magnitude (number plus units)
 25 kg, 4 hours. 9.8 km, 63.2 °C
2. Vectors
 Can be described by both magnitude and direction
 56 m/s W, 78 N upward, 23 m/s2 to the right

Vector Representation
 Represented by an arrow
o Tail – indicates the starting point
o Arrowhead – end point (direction)
 Scale
o 1 cm : 5 km
o 1 cm : 100 m

Cartesian plane

Examples:
1. A force of 90 dynes North 40° East / a force of 90 dynes 40° East of North
2. An acceleration of 60 m/s2 30° West of North / an acceleration of 60 m/s 2 North 30°
West
3. A linear momentum of 50 kg·m/s South
4. A displacement of 80 km Southwest / a displacement of 80 km 45° South of West / a
displacement of 80 km West 45° South

17 Dorothy D. Silva 
 Which one is a vector quantity? Scalar quantity? Answers:
1. 100 m2 1. Scalar
2. 120 km/h East of Batanes 2. Vector
3. 4567 dynes downward 3. Vector
4. 23 g/cm3 4. Scalar
5. 56 newtons 5. Scalar
6. 71 mi/s 6. Scalar
7. 896 kg·m/s West 7. Vector
8. 56 m/s 60° South of East 8. Vector
9. 56 kg 9. Scalar
10. 97 km southeast 10. Vector

Draw the following vectors using ruler and protractor. Label all components.
1. 40 newtons SE
2. 15 m/s 25° SW
3. 120 km E 35° S
4. 78 cm/s2 N
5. 900 dynes W 60° N

Resultant vector
 The sum of two or more vectors

Vector addition
 Process of combining or adding two or more vectors

Graphical method
 Uses scaling (scaling process helps you in cases where big magnitudes have to be reduced to smaller
units.
 The tail-head method of drawing the vector is one way of getting the resultant vector. This is a way
wherein the second vector is drawn such that its tail is connected to the arrowhead of the first
vector. The resultant is measured from the tail of the first vector to the head of the second vector.

Sample Problems: (one dimension)

1. Trixie walks 400 m East, stops to rest and then continues 600 m East.
Scale: 1 cm : 100 m

d1 = 400 m E d2 = 600 m E

dR = 1,000 m E (resultant displacement)

18 Dorothy D. Silva 
 2. Stephen walks home from school 250 m East and remembers that he has to bring home her
Science book which a classmate borrowed. He walks back 675 m West to his classmate’s house.
Scale: 1 cm : 100 m

d1 = 250 m E d2 = 675 m W

dR = 425 m W

Parallelogram method
Sample Problem: (2 dimensions)
1. Ming walks 500 m East and then turns North and walks 300 m. Find the resultant vector.
Scale: 1 cm : 100 m

dR = 580 m
31° NE
d2 = 300 m

Θ = 31°

d1 = 500 m

Polygon method
Sample Problem: (more than 2 vectors in different dimensions)
1. Mark walks 600 m East, then turns 400 m North and finally walks 300 m West.
Scale: 1 cm: 100 m

d3 = 300 m

dR = 500 m
54° NE
d2 = 400 m

Θ = 54°

d1 = 600 m

19 Dorothy D. Silva 
 Draw vector diagrams to solve each problem. Label all components.
1. A car moves 10 km North, then turns 20 km West. What is the total
displacement of the car?
2. A hiker walks 50 m East, then 200 m South and finally 400 m West.
What is the resultant displacement of the hiker from the starting point?

dR = 22.4 km d1 = 10 km
Θ = 63.4°
63.4° West of North

d2 = 20 km

d1 = 50 m

Θ = 30°
dR = 405.00 m
30° South of West d2 = 200 m

d3 = 400 m

20 Dorothy D. Silva 
Vector Resolution
 Process of finding the magnitudes of the components in certain directions
 Two new vectors in directions that are perpendicular to each other
Sample Problem:
A man exerts a force of 60 N along the handle of a lawn mower to push it across the lawn. If the
handle is held at an angle of 30° with the lawn, what are the horizontal and vertical components of the
force exerted by the man?

Given: F = 60 N, 30°
Find: a. Fx (horizontal component of the force)
b. Fy (vertical component of the force)

Solution:

F = 60N

Fy

Θ = 30°

Fx

Fx (adjacent side)
a. cos 30° =
F (hypotenuse)
Fx
cos 30° =
60 N
Fx = (60 N) (cos 30°)
Fx = 52.2 N

Fy (opposite side)
b. sin 30° =
F ( hypotenuse)
Fy
sin 30° =
60 N
Fy = (60 N) (sin 30°)
Fx = 30.0 N

21 Dorothy D. Silva 
 Solve for the components of the following:
1. A cabinet is pulled across a cemented floor with a rope that makes an
angle of 35° with the floor. What is the component of the force parallel
and perpendicular to the floor if a 90-N force is exerted?
2. The wind blows toward 40° with a velocity of 50 km/h. What is the
vertical and horizontal components of the wind’s velocity?

1.

F= 90 N
Fy
Θ = 35°
Fx

Solution:
Fx
a. cos 35° =
90 N
Fx = (90 N) (cos 35°)
Fx = 73.72 N

Fy
b. sin 35° =
90 N
Fy = (90 N) (sin 35°)
Fy = 51.62 N

2.
V = 50 km/hr
Fy
Θ = 40°
Fx

Solution:
Fx
a. cos 40° =
50 km / hr
Fx = (50 km/hr) (cos 40°)
Fx = 38.30 km/hr

Fy
b. sin 40° =
50 km / hr
Fy = (50 km/hr) (sin 40°)
Fy = 32.14 km/hr

Analytical method
 Adding vectors in the same or in the opposite direction
o v1 = 30 m/s E and v2 = 25 m/s E

22 Dorothy D. Silva 
  30 m/s + 25 m/s = 55 m/s E

o d1 = 12 m N and d2 = 24 m S
 24 m – 12 m = 12 m S

 Adding vectors at right angles to each other

o F1 = 8 newtons E and 7 newtons N
 (FR)2 = 82 + 72 FR
 FR = 64newtons  49newtons 7N
 FR = 10.63 N
Θ
7 newtons
o tan θ = 8N
8newtons
 tan θ = 0.875
 θ = 41.19°

 FR = 10.63 newtons 41.19° NE

 Adding vectors using the component method

Sample Problems:
a) An ant crawls on a tabletop. It moves 2 cm East, turns 3 cm 40° North of East and finally
moves 2.5 cm North. What is the ant’s total displacement?

2.5 cm
dR
3 cm
40°

2 cm

d1 = 2 cm East d2x = (3 cm) (cos 40°)

d2 = 3 cm 40° NE d2x = 2.30 cm
d3 = 2.5 cm N
d2y = (3 cm) (sin 40°)
d2y = 1.93 cm

distance dx (cm) dy (cm)

2 cm E 2.00 0
3 cm 40° NE 2.30 1.93

23 Dorothy D. Silva 
 2.5 cm N 0 2.50
Σ 4.30 cm 4.43 cm

dR = ( dx ) 2  ( dy ) 2
dR = (4.30) 2  ( 4.43) 2
dR = 6.17 cm

dy
tan θ =
dx
4.43 4.43
tan θ = θ = tan-1 θ = 45.85° N of E
4.30 4.30

dR = 6.17 cm 45.85° North of East

b) An ant crawls on a tabletop. It moves 2 cm North, turns 3 cm West and finally moves 5 cm
South. What is the ant’s total displacement?

3 cm
2 cm
5 cm

dR

d1 = 2 cm North distance dx (cm) dy (cm)

d2 = 3 cm West 2 cm North 0 2.00
d3 = 5 cm South 3 cm West -3.00 0
2.5 cm South 0 -5.00
Σ -3.00 cm -3.00 cm

dR = ( dx ) 2  ( dy ) 2
dR = ( 3.00) 2  ( 3.00) 2
dR = 4.24 cm

dy
tan θ =
dx

24 Dorothy D. Silva 
 3.00 3.00
tan θ = θ = tan-1 θ = 45° SW
3.00 3.00

dR = 4.24 cm 45° Southwest

c)

40 N 60 N
30°
45°

20°
50 N

F1 = 60 N F2 = 40 N F3 = 50 N
F1x = (60 N) (sin 30°) F2x = (40 N) (cos 45°) F3x = (50 N) (sin 20°)
F1x = 30 N F2x = 28.28 N F3x = 17.10 N

F1y = (60 N) (cos 30°) F2y = (40 N) (sin 45°) F3y = (50 N) (cos 20°)
F1y = 51.96 N F2y = 28.28 N F3y = 46.98 N

Force Fx (N) Fy (N)

60 N 30° E of N 30 51.96
40 N 45° NW -28.28 28.28
50 N 20° E of S 17.10 -46.98
Σ 18.82 N 33.26 N

FR = ( Fx) 2  ( Fy ) 2
FR = (18.82) 2  (33.26) 2
FR = 38.22 N

Fy
tan θ =
Fx

25 Dorothy D. Silva 
 33.26 33.26
tan θ = θ = tan-1 θ = 60.50° N of E
18.82 18.82

FR = 38.22 N 60.50° North of East

1. A jogger runs 14.5 m in a direction 20° east of north and then 105 m in a
direction θ = 35° south of east. Determine the magnitude and direction of
the resultant vector C for these two displacements.

2. You are on a treasure hunt and your map says “Walk due west for 52
paces, then walk 30° north of west for 42 paces, and finally walk due
north for 25 paces.” What is the magnitude and direction of the resultant
vector?

3. Mary leaves the office, drives 26 km due North and turns onto a street
and continues in a direction 30° NE for 35 km and finally turns onto the
highway due east for 40 km. What is her total displacement from the
office?

1. Given: d1 = 14.5 m 20° E of N

d2 = 105 m 35° S of E
Req: dR

20°
30°

displacement dx (m) dy (m)

14.5 m 20° E of N 4.96 13.63
105 m 35° S of E 86.01 -60.23
Σ 90.97 m -46.6 m

dR = ( dx ) 2  ( dy ) 2

26 Dorothy D. Silva 
 dR = (90.97) 2  ( 46.6) 2
dR = 102.21 m

dy
tan θ =
dx
46.6 46.6
tan θ = θ = tan-1 θ = 27.12° S of E
90.97 90.97

FR = 102.21 m 27.12° South of East

2. Given: d1 = 52 paces W
d2 = 42 paces 30° N of W
d3 = 25 paces N
Req: dR

25
42 paces dR
paces
30°
52 paces θ

displacement dx (paces) dy (paces)

52 paces W - 52 0
42 paces 30° N of W 36.37 21
25 paces N 0 25
Σ -15.63 paces 46 paces

dR = ( dx ) 2  ( dy ) 2
dR = ( 15.63) 2  ( 46) 2
dR = 48.58 paces

dy
tan θ =
dx
46 46
tan θ = θ = tan-1 θ = 71.23° N of W
15.63 15.63

FR = 48.58 paces 71.23° North of West

27 Dorothy D. Silva 
3. Given: d1 = 26 km N
d2 = 35 km 30° N of E
d3 = 40 km E 40 km
Req: dR 35 km
30°
1. One displacement vector A has a magnitude of 2.43 km and points due north. A second
displacement vector B has a magnitude of 7.74 km and also points due north. (a) Find the
dR
magnitude and direction of A – B. (b) Find the magnitude and direction of B – A.
26 km
2. A chimpanzee sitting against his favorite tree gets up and walks 51 km due east and 39 m due
south to reach a termite mound, where he eats lunch. (a) What is the shortest distance between
Θ
the tree and the termite mound? (b) What angle does the shortest distance make with respect
to due east?
3. A hiker leaves camp and walks 10 km due north. The hiker then walks 10 km due east. Determine
the total displacement walked by the hiker.
4. A frog hops four times; twice forward, once to the right, and once forward again. Each hop
covers a distance of 28 cm. What is the magnitude of the frog’s displacement?
displacement dx (km) dy (km)
5. A salesperson leaves the office and drives 26 km due north along a straight highway. A turn is
26 km 0 26
made onto a highway that leads in a direction 30° north of east. The driver continues on the
35 km 30° N of E 30.31 17.5
highway for a distance of 62 km and then stops. What is the total displacement of the
40 km E 40 0
salesperson from the office?
Σ force act on an70.31 km The 100-N force
43.5 km
6. A 100-N force and a 50-N object. acts due north. The 50-N
force acts due east. What is the magnitude and direction of the resultant force?
7. Determine the magnitude of the resultant of a 40-N force and a 70-N force acting concurrently
dR = ( dxthem
when the angle between ) 2  is
( dy ) 2
a. 0° dR = (70.31) 2  ( 43.5) 2
b. 30° dR = 82.68 km
c. 60°
d. 90° dy
e. 180° tan θ =
dx
8. An ostrich is running at 43a speed
.5 of 17.0 m/s in a direction 43.of
5 68.0° north of west. What is the
tan θ =
magnitude of the ostrich’s θ = tan -1
θ = 31.74° N of E
70velocity
.31 components? 70.31
9. A 60-N force acts 45° west of south. An 80-N force acts 45° north of west. The two forces
act on the sameFobject. What is the magnitude and direction of the resultant force?
R = 82.68 km 31.74° North of East
10. A 60-N force acting at 30° east of north and a second 60-N force acting in the direction 60°
west of north are concurrent forces. Determine the magnitude and direction of the resultant
force.
11. Two forces are applied to a tree stump to pull it out of the ground. Force A has a magnitude of
2240 N and points 34° south of east, while Force B has a magnitude of 3160 N and points due
south. Using component method, find the magnitude and direction of the resultant force that is
applied to the stump. Specify the direction with respect to due east.
12. Find the resultant of the three displacement vectors by means of component method. Vector A
is 5.00 m 20° north of west, Vector B is 5.00 m 60° north of east, and Vector C is 4.00 m south.
13. Vector A has a magnitude of 6.00 units and points due east. Vector B points due north. (a) What
is the magnitude of B, if the vector A+B points 60.0° north of east? (b) Find the magnitude of A
+ B.
14. The route followed by a hiker consists of three displacement vectors: A, B, and C. Vector A is
along a measured trail and is 1550 m in a direction 25.0° north of east. Vector B is not along a
measured trail, but the hiker uses a compass and knows that the direction is 41.0° east of south.
Similarly, the direction of Vector C is 35.0° 28 north of west. The hiker ends upDorothy
back where she 
D. Silva
started, so the resultant displacement is zero, or A+B+C = 0. Find the magnitudes of (a) Vector B
and (b) Vector C.
29 Dorothy D. Silva 