A study of motion will involve the introduction of a variety of quantities that are used to describe the

physical world. Examples of such quantities include distance, displacement, speed, velocity,
acceleration, force, mass, momentum, energy, work, power, etc. All these quantities can by divided
into two categories - vectors and scalars. A vector quantity is a quantity that is fully described by
both magnitude and direction. On the other hand, a scalar quantity is a quantity that is fully
described by its magnitude. The emphasis of this unit is to understand some fundamentals about
vectors and to apply the fundamentals in order to understand motion and forces that occur in two
dimensions.
Examples of vector quantities that have been previously
discussed include displacement, velocity, acceleration, and force.
Each of these quantities are unique in that a full description of the
quantity demands that both a magnitude and a direction are listed.
For example, suppose your teacher tells you "A bag of gold is
located outside the classroom. To find it, displace yourself 20
meters." This statement may provide yourself enough information to pique your interest; yet, there is
not enough information included in the statement to find the bag of gold. The displacement required
to find the bag of gold has not been fully described. On the other hand, suppose your teacher tells
you "A bag of gold is located outside the classroom. To find it, displace yourself from the center of
the classroom door 20 meters in a direction 30 degrees to the west of north." This statement now
provides a complete description of the displacement vector - it lists both magnitude (20 meters) and
direction (30 degrees to the west of north) relative to a reference or starting position (the center of
the classroom door). Vector quantities are not fully described unless both magnitude and direction
are listed.

Vector Addition
 Vectors and Direction
 Vector Addition
 What is a Resultant?
 Vector Components
 Vector Resolution
 Component Addition
 Relative Velocity and River Boat Problems
 Independence of Perpendicular Components of Motion
A variety of mathematical operations can be performed with and upon vectors. One such operation is
the addition of vectors. Two vectors can be added together to determine the result (or resultant).
Observe the following summations of two force vectors:
 
In this unit, the task of summing vectors will be extended to more complicated cases in which the
vectors are directed in directions other than purely vertical and horizontal directions. For example, a
vector directed up and to the right will be added to a vector directed up and to the left. The vector
sum will be determined for the more complicated cases shown in the diagrams below.

There are a variety of methods for determining the magnitude and direction of the result of adding
two or more vectors. The two methods that will be discussed in this lesson and used throughout the
entire unit are:
 the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometric methods
 the head-to-tail method using a scaled vector diagram

 
 The Pythagorean Theorem
The Pythagorean theorem is a useful method for determining the result of adding two (and only two)
vectors that make a right angle to each other. The method is not applicable for adding more than
two vectors or for adding vectors that are not at 90-degrees to each other. The Pythagorean theorem
is a mathematical equation that relates the length of the sides of a right triangle to the length of the
hypotenuse of a right triangle.

 
To see how the method works, consider the following problem:
Eric leaves the base camp and hikes 11 km, north and then hikes 11 km east. Determine Eric's
resulting displacement.
This problem asks to determine the result of adding two displacement vectors that are at right angles
to each other. The result (or resultant) of walking 11 km north and 11 km east is a vector directed
northeast as shown in the diagram to the right. Since the northward displacement and the eastward
displacement are at right angles to each other, the Pythagorean theorem can be used to determine
the resultant (i.e., the hypotenuse of the right triangle).

The result of adding 11 km, north plus 11 km, east is a vector with a magnitude of 15.6 km. Later,
the method of determining the direction of the vector will be discussed.
 Let's test your understanding with the following two practice problems. In each case, use the
Pythagorean theorem to determine the magnitude of the vector sum. When finished, click the
button to view the answer.

 
Using Trigonometry to Determine a Vector's Direction
The direction of a resultant vector can often be determined by use of trigonometric functions. Most
students recall the meaning of the useful mnemonic SOH CAH TOA from their course in trigonometry.
SOH CAH TOA is a mnemonic that helps one remember the meaning of the three common
trigonometric functions - sine, cosine, and tangent functions. These three functions relate an acute
angle in a right triangle to the ratio of the lengths of two of the sides of the right triangle. The sine
function relates the measure of an acute angle to the ratio of the length of the side opposite the
angle to the length of the hypotenuse. The cosine function relates the measure of an acute angle
to the ratio of the length of the side adjacent the angle to the length of the hypotenuse.
The tangent function relates the measure of an angle to the ratio of the length of the side opposite
the angle to the length of the side adjacent to the angle. The three equations below summarize these
three functions in equation form.

These three trigonometric functions can be applied to the hiker problem in order to determine the
direction of the hiker's overall displacement. The process begins by the selection of one of the two
angles (other than the right angle) of the triangle. Once the angle is selected, any of the three
functions can be used to find the measure of the angle. Write the function and proceed with the
proper algebraic steps to solve for the measure of the angle. The work is shown below.

Once the measure of the angle is determined, the direction of the vector can be found. In this case
the vector makes an angle of 45 degrees with due East. Thus, the direction of this vector is written
as 45 degrees. (Recall from earlier in this lesson that the direction of a vector is the counterclockwise
angle of rotation that the vector makes with due East.)

The Calculated Angle is Not Always the Direction

The measure of an angle as determined through use of SOH CAH TOA is not always the direction of
the vector. The following vector addition diagram is an example of such a situation. Observe that the
angle within the triangle is determined to be 26.6 degrees using SOH CAH TOA. This angle is the
southward angle of rotation that the vector R makes with respect to West. Yet the direction of the
vector as expressed with the CCW (counterclockwise from East) convention is 206.6 degrees.
 
 

 
 
Test your understanding of the use of SOH CAH TOA to determine the vector direction by
trying the following two practice problems. In each case, use SOH CAH TOA to determine the
direction of the resultant. When finished, click the button to view the answer.

See Answer to Practice A

 
 See Answer to Practice B

 
 
 
In the above problems, the magnitude and direction of the sum of two vectors is determined using
the Pythagorean theorem and trigonometric methods (SOH CAH TOA). The procedure is restricted to
the addition of two vectors that make right angles to each other. When the two vectors that are to be
added do not make right angles to one another, or when there are more than two vectors to add
together, we will employ a method known as the head-to-tail vector addition method. This method is
described below.

omponent Method of Vector Addition

 Vectors and Direction
 Vector Addition
 What is a Resultant?
 Vector Components
 Vector Resolution
 Component Addition
 Relative Velocity and River Boat Problems
 Independence of Perpendicular Components of Motion
Earlier in this lesson, we learned that vectors oriented at right angles to one another can be added together
using the Pythagorean theorem. For instance, two displacement vectors with magnitude and direction of 11
km, North and 11 km, East can be added together to produce a resultant vector that is directed both north
and east. When the two vectors are added head-to-tail as shown below, the resultant is the hypotenuse of a
right triangle. The sides of the right triangle have lengths of 11 km and 11 km. The resultant can be
determined using the Pythagorean theorem; it has a magnitude of 15.6 km. The solution is shown below the
diagram.

This Pythagorean approach is a useful approach for adding any two vectors that are directed at right angles to
one another. A right triangle has two sides plus a hypotenuse; so the Pythagorean theorem is perfect for
adding two right angle vectors. But there are limits to the usefulness of the Pythagorean theorem in solving
vector addition problems. For instance, the addition of three or four vectors does not lead to the formation of
a right triangle with two sides and a hypotenuse. So at first glance it may seem that it is impossible to use the
Pythagorean theorem to determine the resultant for the addition of three or four vectors. Furthermore, the
Pythagorean theorem works when the two added vectors are at right angles to one another - such as for
adding a north vector and an east vector. But what can one do if the two vectors that are being added are not
at right angles to one another? Is there a means of using mathematics to reliably determine the resultant for
such vector addition situations? Or is the student of physics left to determining such resultants using a scaled
vector diagram? Here on this page, we will learn how to approach more complex vector addition situations by
combining the concept of vector components (discussed earlier) and the principles of vector resolution
(discussed earlier) with the use of the Pythagorean theorem (discussed earlier).
 

Addition of Three or More Right Angle Vectors

As our first example, consider the following vector addition problem:

Example 1:

A student drives his car 6.0 km, North before making a right hand turn and driving 6.0 km to the East. Finally,
the student makes a left hand turn and travels another 2.0 km to the north. What is the magnitude of the
overall displacement of the student?

Like any problem in physics, a successful solution begins with the development of a mental picture of the
situation. The construction of a diagram like that below often proves useful in the visualization process.

When these three vectors are added together in head-to-tail fashion, the resultant is a vector that extends
from the tail of the first vector (6.0 km, North, shown in red) to the arrowhead of the third vector (2.0 km,
North, shown in green). The head-to-tail vector addition diagram is shown below.
As can be seen in the diagram, the resultant vector (drawn in black) is not the hypotenuse of any right triangle
- at least not of any immediately obvious right triangle. But would it be possible to force this resultant vector
to be the hypotenuse of a right triangle? The answer is Yes! To do so, the order in which the three vectors are
added must be changed. The vectors above were drawn in the order in which they were driven. The student
drove north, then east, and then north again. But if the three vectors are added in the order 6.0 km, N + 2.0
km, N + 6.0 km, E, then the diagram will look like this:

After rearranging the order in which the three vectors are added, the resultant vector is now the hypotenuse
of a right triangle. The lengths of the perpendicular sides of the right triangle are 8.0 m, North (6.0 km + 2.0
km) and 6.0 km, East. The magnitude of the resultant vector (R) can be determined using the Pythagorean
theorem.

R2 = (8.0 km)2 + (6.0 km)2

R2 = 64.0 km2+ 36.0 km2
R2 = 100.0 km2
R = SQRT (100.0 km2)
R = 10.0 km

(SQRT indicates square root)

In the first vector addition diagram above, the three vectors were added in the order in which they are driven.
In the second vector addition diagram (immediately above), the order in which the vectors were added was
switched around. The size of the resultant was not affected by this change in order. This illustrates an
important point about adding vectors: the resultant is independent by the order in which they are added.
Adding vectors A + B + C gives the same resultant as adding vectors B + A + C or even C + B + A. As long
as all three vectors are included with their specified magnitude and direction, the resultant will be the same.
This property of vectors is the key to the strategy used in the determination of the answer to the above
example problem. To further illustrate the strategy, let's consider the vector addition situation described in
Example 2 below.

Example 2:

Mac and Tosh are doing the Vector Walk Lab. Starting at the door of their physics classroom, they walk 2.0
meters, south. They make a right hand turn and walk 16.0 meters, west. They turn right again and walk 24.0
meters, north. They then turn left and walk 36.0 meters, west. What is the magnitude of their overall
displacement?

A graphical representation of the given problem will help visualize what is happening. The diagram below
depicts such a representation.
When these four vectors are added together in head-to-tail fashion, the resultant is a vector that extends from
the tail of the first vector (2.0 m, South, shown in red) to the arrowhead of the fourth vector (36.0 m, West,
shown in green). The head-to-tail vector addition diagram is shown below.

The resultant vector (drawn in black and labeled R) in the vector addition diagram above is not the
hypotenuse of any immediately obvious right trangle. But by changing the order of addition of these four
vectors, one can force this resultant vector to be the hypotenuse of a right triangle. For instance, by adding
the vectors in the order of 2.0 m, S + 24.0 m, N + 16.0 m, W + 36.0 m. W, the resultant becomes the
hypotenuse of a right triangle. This is shown in the vector addition diagram below.

With the vectors rearranged, the resultant is now the hypotenuse of a right triangle that has two perpendicular
sides with lengths of 22.0 m, North and 52.0 m, West. The 22.0 m, North side is the result of 2.0 m, South
and 24.0 m, North added together. The 52.0 m, West side is the result of 16.0 m, West and 36.0 m, West
added together. The magnitude of the resultant vector (R) can be determined using the Pythagorean theorem.
 

R2 = (22.0 m)2 + (52.0 m)2

R2 = 484.0 m2 + 2704.0 m2
R2 = 3188.0 m2
R = SQRT (3188.0 m22)
R = 56.5 m

(SQRT indicates square root)

As can be seen in these two examples, the resultant of the addition of three or more right angle vectors can
be easily determined using the Pythagorean theorem. Doing so involves the adding of the vectors in a
different order.
 
SOH CAH TOA and the Direction of Vectors
The above discussion explains the method for determining the magnitude of the resultant for three or more
perpendicular vectors. The topic of direction has been ignored in the discussion. Now we will turn our attention
to the method for determining the direction of the resultant vector. As a quick review, recall that earlier in this
lesson a convention for expressing the direction of a vector was introduced. The convention is known as the
counter-clockwise from east convention, often abbreviated as the CCW convention. Using this convention, the
direction of a vector is often expressed as a counter-clockwise angle of rotation of the vector about
its tail from due East.

To begin our discussion, let's return to Example 1 above where we made an effort to add three vectors: 6.0
km, N + 6.0 km, E + 2.0 km, N. In the solution, the order of addition of the three
vectors was rearranged so that a right triangle was formed with the resultant being
the hypotenuse of the triangle. The triangle is redrawn at the right. Observe that
the angle in the lower left of the triangle has been labeled as theta (Θ). Theta (Θ)
represents the angle that the vector makes with the north axis. Theta (Θ) can be
calculated using one of the three trigonometric functions introduced earlier in this
lesson - sine, cosine or tangent. The mnemonic SOH CAH TOA is a helpful way of
remembering which function to use. In this problem, we wish to determine the
angle measure of theta (Θ) and we know the length of the side opposite theta (Θ)
- 6.0 km - and the length of the side adjacent the angle theta (Θ) - 8.0 km. The TOA of SOH CAH TOA
indicates that the tangent of any angle is the ratio of the lengths of the side opposite to the side adjacent that
angle. Thus, the tangent function will be used to calculate the angle measure of theta (Θ). The work is shown
below.
 

Tangent(Θ) = Opposite/Adjacent
Tangent(Θ) = 6.0/8.0
Tangent(Θ) = 0.75
Θ = tan-1 (0.75)
Θ = 36.869 …°
Θ =37°

The problem is not over once the value of theta (Θ) has been calculated. This angle measure must now be
used to state the direction. One means of doing so is to simply state that the direction of the resultant is 37°
east of north. Alternatively, the counter-clockwise convention could be used. Since the angle that the resultant
makes with east is the complement of the angle that it makes with north, we could express the direction as
53° CCW.

We will now consider Example 2 as a second example of how to use SOH CAH TOA to determine the
direction of a resultant. In Example 2, we were trying to determine the magnitude of 2.0 m. S + 16.0 m, W +
24.0 m, N + 36.0 m, W. The solution involved re-ordering the addition so that the resultant was the
hypotenuse of a right triangle with known sides. The right triangle is shown below. The resultant is drawn in
black. Once more, observe that the angle in the lower right of the triangle has been labeled as theta (Θ).
Theta (Θ) represents the angle that the vector makes with the north axis.
 

Theta (Θ) can be calculated using the tangent function. In this problem, we wish to determine the angle
measure of theta (Θ) and we know the length of the side opposite theta (Θ) - 52.0 m - and the length of the
side adjacent the angle theta (Θ) - 22.0 m. The TOA of SOH CAH TOA indicates that the tangent of any angle
is the ratio of the lengths of the side opposite to the side adjacent that angle. Thus, the tangent function will
be used to calculate the angle measure of theta (Θ). The work is shown below.

Tangent(Θ) = Opposite/Adjacent
Tangent(Θ) = 52.0/22.0
Tangent(Θ) = 2.3636 …
Θ = tan-1 (2.3636 …)
Θ = 67.067 …°
Θ =67.1°

The problem is not over once the value of theta (Θ) has been calculated. This angle measure must now be
used to state the direction. One means of doing so is to simply state that the direction of the resultant is 67.1°
west of north. Alternatively, the counter-clockwise convention could be used. The north axis is rotated 90°
counter-clockwise from east and this vector is an additional 67.1° counter-clockwise past north. Thus the CCW
direction is 157.1° CCW.

In summary, the direction of a vector can be determined in the same way that it is always determined - by
finding the angle of rotation counter-clockwise from due east. Since the resultant is the hypotenuse of a right
triangle, this can be accomplished by first finding an angle that the resultant makes with one of the nearby
axes of the triangle. Once done, a little thinking is required in order to relate the angle to a direction.

Addition of Non-Perpendicular Vectors

Now we will consider situations in which the two (or more) vectors that are
being added are not at right angles to each other. The Pythagorean theorem is not applicable to such
situations since it applies only to right triangles. Two non-perpendicular vectors will not form a right triangle.
Yet it is possible to force two (or more) non-perpendicular vectors to be transformed into other vectors that do
form a right triangle. The trick involves the concept of a vector component and the process of vector
resolution.

A vector component describes the effect of a vector in a given direction. Any angled vector has two
components; one is directed horizontally and the other is directed vertically. For instance, a northwest vector
has a northward component and a westward component. Together, the effect these two components are
equal to the overall effect of the angled vector. As an example, consider a plane that flies northwest from
Chicago O'Hare airport towards the Canada border. The northwest displacement vector of the plane has two
components - a northward component and a westward component. When added together, these two
components are equal to the overall northwest displacement. This is shown in the diagram below.
 

The northwest vector has north and west components that are represented as Ax and Ay. It can be said that

A = Ax + Ay
So whenever we think of a northwest vector, we can think instead of two vectors - a north and a west vector.
The two components Ax + Ay can be substituted in for the single vector A in the problem.

Now suppose that your task involves adding two non-perpendicular vectors together. We will call the
vectors A and B. Vector A is a nasty angled vector that is neither horizontal nor vertical. And vector B is a
nice, polite vector directed horizontally. The situation is shown below.

Of course nasty vector A has two components - Ax and Ay. These two components together are equal to
vector A. That is, A = Ax + Ay .
  
And since this is true, it makes since to say that A + B = Ax + Ay + B.

 
And so the problem of A + B has been transformed into a problem in which all vectors are at right angles to
each other. Nasty has been replaced by nice and that should make any physics student happy. With all vectors
being at right angles to one another, their addition leads to a resultant that is at the hypotenuse of a right
triangle. The Pythagorean theorem can then be used to determine the magnitude of the resultant.

To see how this process works with an actual vector addition problem, consider Example 3 shown below.

Example 3:

Max plays middle linebacker for South's football team. During one play in last Friday night's game against New
Greer Academy, he made the following movements after the ball was snapped on third down. First, he back-
pedaled in the southern direction for 2.6 meters. He then shuffled to his left (west) for a distance of 2.2
meters. Finally, he made a half-turn and ran downfield a distance of 4.8 meters in a direction of 240° counter-
clockwise from east (30° W of S) before finally knocking the wind out of New Greer's wide receiver. Determine
the magnitude and direction of Max's overall displacement.

As is the usual case, the solution begins with a diagram of the vectors being added.

To assist in the discussion, the three vectors have been labeled as vectors A, B,
and C. The resultant is the vector sum of these three vectors; a head-to-tail vector
addition diagram reveals that the resultant is directed southwest. Of the three
vectors being added, vector C is clearly the nasty vector. Its direction is neither due
south nor due west. The solution involves resolving this vector into its components.
The process of vector resolution was discussed earlier in this lesson. The process involves using the magnitude
and the sine and cosine functions to determine the x- and y-components of the vector. Vector C makes a 30°
angle with the southern direction. By sketching a right triangle with horizontal and vertical legs and C as the
hypotenuse, it becomes possible to determine the components of vector C. This is shown in the diagram
below. The side adjacent this 30° angle in the triangle is the vertical side; the vertical side represents the
vertical (southward) component of C - Cy. So to determine Cy, the cosine function is used. The side opposite
the 30° angle is the horizontal side; the horizontal side represents the horizontal (westward) component of C -
Cx. The values of Cx and Cy can be determined by using SOH CAH TOA. The cosine function is used to
determine the southward component since the southward component is adjacent to the 30° angle. The sine
function is used to determine the westward component since the westward component is the side opposite to
the 30° angle. The work is shown below.

Now our vector addition problem has been transformed from the addition of two nice vectors and one nasty
vector into the addition of four nice vectors.

With all vectors oriented along are customary north-south and east-west axes, they can be added head-to-tail
in any order to produce a right triangle whose the hypotenuse is the resultant. Such a diagram is shown
below.

The triangle's perpendicular sides have lengths of 4.6 meters and 6.756 meters. The length of the horizontal
side (4.6 m) was determined by adding the values of B (2.2 m) and C x (2.4 m). The length of the vertical side
(6.756… m) was determined by adding the values of A (2.6 m) and C y (4.156… m). The resultant's magnitude
(R) can now be determined using the Pythagorean theorem.
 R2 = (6.756… m)2 + (4.6 m)2
R2 = 45.655… m2 + 21.16 m2
R2 = 66.815… m2
R = SQRT(66.815… m2 )
R = 8.174 … m
R = ~8.2 m

The direction of the resultant can be determined by finding the angle that the
resultant makes with either the north-south or the east-west vector. The diagram at
the right shows the angle theta (Θ) marked inside the vector addition triangle. This
angle theta is the angle that the resultant makes with west. Its value can be
determined using the tangent function. The tangent function (as in TOA) relates the
angle value to the ratio of the lengths of the opposite side to the adjacent side. That
is,

tangent(Θ) = (6.756… m)/(4.6 m) = 1.46889…

Using the inverse tangent function, the angle theta (Θ) can be determined. On most calculators, this involves
using the 2nd-Tangent buttons.

Θ = tan-1 (1.46889…) = 55.7536… °
Θ = ~56°
This 56° angle is the angle between the resultant vector (drawn in black above) and the westward direction.
This makes the direction 56° south of west. The direction of the resultant based on the counter-clockwise from
east convention (CCW) can be determined by adding 180° to the 56°. So the CCW direction is 236°.

Example 4 provides one final example of how to combine vector resolution with vector addition in order to add
three or more non-perpendicular vectors. Because this example includes three particularly nasty vectors, a
table will be used to organize the information about he magnitude and direction of the components. The use
of a table is a wise idea when problems get complicated.

Example 4:

Cameron Per (his friends call him Cam) and Baxter Nature are on a hike. Starting from home base, they make
the following movements.

A: 2.65 km, 140° CCW

B: 4.77 km, 252° CCW
C: 3.18 km, 332° CCW
Determine the magnitude and direction of their overall displacement.

The visual representation of the situation is shown below.

To determine the resultant, the three individual vectors are resolved into horizontal and vertical components.
The angle information about each vector is used to form a right triangle in which the vector is the hypotenuse
and the perpendicular sides are oriented along the east-west and north-south axes. This is shown in the
diagram below.

Trigonometric functions - sine, cosine and tangent - are then used to determine the magnitude of the
horizontal and vertical component of each vector. The work is shown and organized in the table below.
 

Vector East-West Component North-South Component

(2.65 km)•cos(40°) (2.65 km)•sin(40°)

A
2.65 km
= 2.030… km, West = 1.703… km, North
140° CCW

(4.77 km)•sin(18°) (4.77 km)•cos(18°)

B
4.77 km
= 1.474… km, West = 4.536… km, South
252° CCW

(3.18 km)•cos(28°) (3.18 km)•sin(28°)

C
3.18 km
= 2.808… km, East = 1.493… km, South
332° CCW

Sum of 0.696 km, West 4.326 km, South

A+B+C

The last row of the above table represents the sum of all the East-West components and the sum of all the
North-South components. The resultant consists of these two components. The resultant is determined by
adding together these two the components to form a right triangle that has a hypotenuse that is equal to the
resultant. This typically involves adding all the horizontal components to determine the total length of the
horizontal side of the right triangle … and adding all the vertical components to determine the total length of
the vertical side of the right triangle. This is done in the table above by simple adding another row to the table
for the vector sum of all the components. In adding the east-west components of all the individual vectors,
one must consider that an eastward component and a westward component would add together as
a positive and a negative. Some students prefer to think of this as subtraction as opposed to addition. In
actuality, it really is addition - the addition of vectors with opposite direction. Similarly, a northward and a
southward component would also add together as a positive and a negative. Once the bottom row is
accurately determined, the magnitude of the resultant can be determined using Pythagorean theorem.
 

R2 = (0.696 km)2 + (4.326 km)2

R2 = 0.484 km2 + 18.714 km2
R2 = 19.199 km2
R = SQRT(19.199 km2)
R = ~4.38 km

The direction of the resulting displacement can be determined by constructing the final
triangle from the components of the resultant. The components of the resultant are
simply the sum the east-west and north-south components. Once done, SOH CAH TOA
is used to determine the angle that the resultant makes with a nearby axis. The
diagram is shown at the right. The angle labeled as theta (Θ) is the angle between the
resultant vector and the west axis. This angle can be calculated as follows:

Tangent(Θ) = opposite/adjacent
Tangent(Θ) = (4.326 km)/(0.696 km)
Tangent(Θ) = 6.216
Θ = tan-1(6.216)
Θ = 80.9°

This angle measure represents the angle of rotation of the vector south of due west. It
would be worded as 80.9° south of west. Since west is 180° counterclockwise from
east, the direction could also be expressed in the counterclockwise (CCW) from east
convention as 260.9°.

So the result of our analysis is that the overall displacement is 4.38 km with a direction
of 260.9° (CCW).

The questions that have been addressed on this page are:

1. How can three or more perpendicular vectors be added together to determine the resultant?
2. How can two or more non-perpendicular vectors be added together to determine the resultant?
For both questions, we have found that any two or three or more vectors can be transformed or rearranged so
that they add together to form a right triangle with the hypotenuse being the resultant. Once the right triangle
is formed, Pythagorean theorem and SOH CAH TOA can be used to calculate the resultant.

 
 

We Would Like to Suggest ...

Sometimes it isn't enough to just read about it. You have to interact with it!
And that's exactly what you do when you use one of The Physics Classroom's Interactives. We would like to
suggest that you combine the reading of this page with the use of our Name That Vector Interactive,
our Vector Addition Interactive, or our Vector Guessing Game Interactive. All three Interactives can be found
in the Physics Interactive section of our website and provide an interactive experience with the skill of adding
vectors.

Visit:  Name That Vector  |  Vector Addition  |  Vector Guessing Game

Experiment with the widget below and then try the problems in the Check Your Understanding section to
test your skill at adding vectors using components.

Practice!
The widget below computes the sum of three vectors if the x- and y-components are known. Use the widget
to practice and check a problem.

 
Check Your Understanding
Consider the diagram below. Nine unique, labeled locations are provided on a grid. Each square on the grid
represents a 20-meter x 20-meter area. Rightward on the grid is in the eastward direction and upward on the
grid in the northward direction. Use the grid in answering the next few questions.
 
1. Suppose that a person starts at position A and walks to position E and then to position G. Fill in the table
below to indicate the east-west and the north-south components of the individual legs of the walk and the
components of the resulting displacement. Make the measurements off the grid. Finally, use the Pythagorean
theorem and SOH CAH TOA to determine the magnitude and the direction of the resulting displacement.
 

Vector East-West Component North-South Component

A to E    
 

E to G