SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH VECTORS
CP Physics
Show all your work, including rough sketches.
1) A car travels 7 km north. It then changes direction of travel and ultimately stops when it is 17 km
southwest of its starting point. Find the displacement of the car on the second leg of the trip.
2) A man walks 50 m west, then 40 m southwest. In what direction and how far should he walk on
the third leg so that he will be 24 m west of his starting point?
3) Forces are measured in newtons (N) and added vectorially (more on this later). Two forces, F1
and F2, act on an object. The resultant of the two forces is FR = 45 N and is directed along the
positive y axis. If F1 = 35 N and is directed along the positive x axis, what is the magnitude and
direction of F2?
4) A boat steers due north and travels for 40 km over the water. The currents carry the boat 20 km
southeast during this time. How far is the boat from its point of departure?
5) While playing ultimate frisbee, you run North for 10 m, then East for 30 m, and finally
34m in a direction 37º south of East. What is your total displacement,
magnitude & direction, during this run?
6) In the morning one of your teachers decide to take a hike. He walks 18km due north
before stopping for lunch. After lunch he walks 8km due east to a stream to fish until
sunset. He then tries to get home by walking in the dark for 20 km in a direction 53º
west of south. He then gives up and camps out under the stars for the night. Find the
total displacement (magnitude and direction) for the day. Show all your work.
7) At the end of a football game with the score tied at 21 there is just enough for yourteam to
attempt a field goal. A cold wind of 6 m/s is blowing from due north. The goalpost is due east.
The kicker can kick the ball at 38 m/s. What direction does thekicker need to aim the kick to
compensate for the wind?