Applied Physics
Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology
Khuzdar
Engr. M Azam Baloch
Chapter 1 Outline
1) Vectors
1.1) Review of Vectors
1.2) Ordinary Differentiation of Vector
1.3) Gradient of Scalar field
1.4) Divergence and Curl of Vector Field
1.5) Line, Surface and Volume integrals with their Applications
1.1) Review of Vectors
1.1) Review of Vectors
Introduction
• A vector quantity is completely specified by a number with a ( magnitude of
the vector) plus a direction is know as Vector. i,e displacement, velocity, and
acceleration.
• If a particle changes its position by moving from A to B we say that it
undergoes a displacement from A to B, which we represent with an arrow
pointing from A to B.
The arrow specifies the vector graphically.
• The displacement vector tells us nothing about the actual path that
the particle takes. Displacement vectors represent only the overall
effect of the motion, not the motion itself.
• The Shortest Distance Between two Points are called Displacement.
Coordinate Systems
A coordinate system is a mathematical framework used to uniquely
determine the position of a point or object in space. It consists of a
set of axes, reference lines, and a set of rules for assigning numerical
values to points. The most common.
• coordinate systems are the Cartesian coordinate system and the polar
coordinate system.
• In the Cartesian coordinate system, named after the French
mathematician and philosopher René Descartes, points are located by
their distances from perpendicular lines called axes. These axes
typically intersect at a point called the origin. Coordinates in this
system are given as ordered pairs (x, y) in two dimensions and as
ordered triples (x, y, z) in three dimensions.
• In the polar coordinate system, points are located by their distance
from the origin (called the radius) and the angle formed by a reference
line (usually the positive x-axis) and a line connecting the point to the
origin (called the azimuth angle or polar angle).
Coordinate systems are fundamental in various fields such as
mathematics, physics, engineering, geography, and computer science for
describing and analyzing spatial relationships, motions, and
transformations. They provide a standardized way to represent positions
and locations in space
Equality of Two Vectors
Two vectors A and B may be defined to be equal if they have the
same magnitude and if they point in the same direction. That is, A= B
only if A = B and if A and B point in the same direction along
parallel lines.
Adding Vectors
• The rules for adding vectors are conveniently described by a
graphical method. To add vector B to vector A, first draw vector A
on graph
paper, with its magnitude represented by a convenient length scale,
and then draw vector B to the same scale, with its tail starting from the
tip of A, as shown in Figure 3.6. The resultant vector R= A+B is the
vector drawn from the tail of A to the tip of B.
A geometric construction can also be used to add more than two
vectors as shown in Figure 3.7 for the case of four vectors. The
resultant vector R =A +B+C+D is the vector that completes the
polygon. In other words, R is the vector drawn from the tail of the first
vector to the tip of the last vector. This technique for adding
vectors is often called the “head to tail method.”
When two vectors are added, the sum is independent of the order of
the addition. This property, which can be seen from the geometric
construction in Figure 3.8, is known as the commutative law of
addition.
A+B=B+A
When three or more vectors are added, their sum is independent of
the way in which the individual vectors are grouped together. A
geometric proof of this rule for three vectors is given in Figure 3.9.
This property is called the associative law of addition.
A+(B+C) = (A+B)+C
In summary, a vector quantity has both magnitude and direction and
also obeys the laws of vector addition as described in Figures 3.6 to
3.9. When two or more vectors are added together, they must all have the
same units and they must all be the same type of quantity.