Module 2—Motion in Two Dimensions

Lesson Summary

 

You explored the following essential question in this lesson:

There are two methods for graphically constructing the sum of two or more vectors:

Both methods will produce the "sum of two or more vectors," which is referred to as the resultant. The resultant vector illustrates the magnitude and direction of the sum of two or more vectors.

 

Lesson Glossary

 

parallelogram method: a method of adding vectors, where the two vectors’ tails start at the same point and define adjacent sides of a parallelogram

 

The diagonal of the parallelogram that starts where the tails meet is the resultant.

 

resultant: a vector sum of two or more other vectors

 

tip-to-tail method: a method of adding vectors, where the second vector begins at the end (tip) of the first vector

 

The resultant is the vector from the tail of the first vector to the tip of the second.