Either angle (75* or 15*) would work, the problem arises when you apply the trig functions to find the components. For example, look at how the the cosine function is defined: cos(theta) = adj/hyp. In your second answer for the x component of F2, you are saying that the leg adjacent to the angle is on the x axis, when in reality it is along the y-axis according to the definition of cosine.Rich52490 said:F1 = 120cos(60*) = 60
120sin(60*) = 103.9
x and y = (60,103.9)
F2 = -75cos(75*) or is it -75cos(15*)? = -19 or -72.4
75sin(75*) or 75sin(15*) = 72.4 or 19
x and y = (-19,72.4) or is is it (-72.4, 19)
Magnitude and direction are two components that describe a vector quantity. Magnitude refers to the size or amount of the vector, while direction refers to the orientation or angle of the vector.
Magnitude is typically represented by a number and a unit, such as 10 meters or 5 seconds. Direction is often represented by an arrow pointing in the direction of the vector, or by an angle measured from a reference direction.
Magnitude and direction are closely related and cannot exist without each other. They are both necessary to fully describe a vector quantity. Changing either the magnitude or direction will result in a different vector.
Yes, the magnitude of a vector can be negative. This occurs when the vector is pointing in the opposite direction of the reference direction. For example, a displacement of -5 meters means that the object has moved 5 meters in the negative direction.
Magnitude can be measured directly using a ruler or other measuring tool. It can also be calculated using mathematical equations, such as the Pythagorean theorem for finding the magnitude of a 2-dimensional vector. Direction can be measured using a protractor or calculated using trigonometric functions, such as tangent or sine.