Experiment 4: Force TablePHY 2048L – 012 Geisy N. Pena CastilloLab Date: 09/19/2018Report Date: 09/26/2018Lab Instructor: Ryan StevensPurposeThe purpose of this experiment was to add a set of vectors and find the resultant vector using the graphical, analytical and experimental methods. TheoryA scalar quantity is defined by having only a magnitude, such as time, mass, and volume. A vector quantity is defined by having both a magnitude and a direction, for example, force, velocity, and acceleration. A vector quantity is represented by having an arrow on top of the letter, indicating magnitude and direction. When graphing a vector, the direction of the arrow gives the direction and the length of the line is proportional to the magnitude. To calculate vectors, we use the components F = Fxand Fy, where x and y are direction vectors indicating the directions of the x and y axes respectively. The two components of F are Fx= cos⩉and Fy= sin⩉.The magnitude of F is √Fx2+ Fy2. The direction of F is tan⩉= Fy/Fxwhich is the same as ⩉= tan-1(Fy / Fx). Using a force table, we were able to observe the experimental determination of the resultant force. The magnitude of a force depends on the added weight to the weight-hangers andthe direction depends on moving the pulley. Using the graphical method, we were able to find the
