What did I do wrong? Two-Dimension Vectors

  • Thread starter Shelilla
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In summary, the woman walked 440 m at 50° S of W and then 580 m at 60° N of E. The entire trip required 15 minutes.
  • #1
Shelilla
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1. Homework Statement
So the problem is:
A woman walks 440 m at 50° S of W and then 580 m at 60° N of E. The entire trip required 15 minutes.
A. What was the total distance (I already got the answer to this)
B. What was the displacement of the woman?

Homework Equations


I'm almost positive I did everything right. The only two things I could think of is that I mislabeled or miscalculated the equation/triangle, or it's possible that the answer in my booklet is wrong (this has happened before since my physics teacher used online resources which don't always have the right answers.) however I want to make sure it's not just me.

I have a quiz today based on this and the previous lesson so I need a reply quick.

The Attempt at a Solution



The answer in my booklet says: 165.4 m at 2.5° E of N. Is this right?
[/B]
Here is what I had written:
http://orig05.deviantart.net/276d/f/2016/287/9/d/untitled_by_shelilla-dakysaj.jpg
I separated the two angles into different triangles just like we did in lessons. However since it's such a big series of equations, unless I'm a physics expert I can't tell just by looking if I did something wrong, and if I try to revise it there is so many things that can change the answer so it's too confusing to try.
 
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  • #2
You've used the Ay component in your calculation of x and Ax in your calculation of y. X directions should be east or west, and Y directions north or south.
 
  • #3
Booklet is right...
What does 60 degrees north of East mean ?

[edit] Gn is right; I was wrong-footed by your drawing; the numbers are OK.
 
  • #4
gneill said:
You've used the Ay component in your calculation of x and Ax in your calculation of y. X directions should be east or west, and Y directions north or south.
Crap, you're right. I probably shouldn't have started this assignment at 9, I made a few mistakes in other questions (such as sin-1(# + #) instead of sin-1(#/#) ) lol, thanks for pointing that out!
 
  • #5
Glad to help. Good luck with your studies!
 

Related to What did I do wrong? Two-Dimension Vectors

1. What are two-dimensional vectors?

Two-dimensional vectors are mathematical objects that have both magnitude and direction. They are represented as an ordered pair of numbers (x, y) and are often used in physics and engineering to represent quantities such as displacement, velocity, and force.

2. How do I calculate the magnitude of a two-dimensional vector?

To calculate the magnitude of a two-dimensional vector, you can use the Pythagorean theorem. The magnitude is equal to the square root of the sum of the squares of the x and y components of the vector.

3. How do I add or subtract two-dimensional vectors?

To add or subtract two-dimensional vectors, you can simply add or subtract their corresponding x and y components. For example, to add two vectors (a, b) and (c, d), you would add the x components (a + c) and the y components (b + d) to get the resulting vector (a + c, b + d).

4. What is the difference between scalar and vector quantities?

Scalar quantities are physical quantities that have only magnitude, such as mass or temperature. Vector quantities, on the other hand, have both magnitude and direction, such as velocity or acceleration.

5. How are two-dimensional vectors represented graphically?

Two-dimensional vectors can be represented graphically as arrows on a coordinate plane. The direction of the arrow represents the direction of the vector, and the length of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector.

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